


The Aneukarian Incident

by Manuuk7



Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: Gen, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-21
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2019-11-27 05:11:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 59,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18190193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Manuuk7/pseuds/Manuuk7
Summary: In the process of being published on FF as two stories, each deriving from the same prologue. Will be posted here as a single story with two or more different tracks after the prologue.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Note: First, I do not own any of the Star Trek characters other than those I make up myself. I swear.
> 
> Now, about this story, remember these books where you could choose the plot of your story? I thought about doing the same, but my issue with these books was that I always read everything in order of appearance no matter what option I selected, which spoiled the surprise a lot. So I decided to split this into two connected stories; or perhaps not connected, two potential ways it could play out. I have not decided if I will publish both in parallel or one and then the other. And I do expect some paragraphs, possibly a whole chapter initially, to be very similar. Which is the reason for this long-winded explanation why that may be the case.

Enterprise

"Captain Archer's log. We're still in the Porcellio Gamma Three constellation. There have been no reportable events, the science teams are hard at work verifying the Vulcan star charts and cataloguing new information."

Archer clicked off the com with a sigh. Lucky scientists. The entire ship was abuzz with their excitement, Enterprise had become one giant geekfest. It was day sixteen of their assignment and as far as he was concerned it might as well have been day sixty-one. That's how long he felt this had dragged on already. Way too long. He needed some action. But hard to deflate the excitement of his teams with the news that their captain was bored.

At least he had Trip on his side, the Engineering crew had pretty much hand-buffed every last head of every last screw on board. In a little while, the numbers would be with him, there would be more bored crew members than not and the balance would start tipping. Then he could start gently asking T'Pol when they would be done without getting lectured about the invaluable data they were streaming on a daily basis.

Every day found her almost impatiently waiting to be done with breakfast so that she could run down to the labs and start another day of exploration. Of course, she'd deny every last bit of it, Vulcans didn't run and they didn't get excited, yadi, yadi, yada. But she didn't fool anyone.

"Captain, I'm getting a distress call!" Hoshi interrupted his mulling.

'Damn, Jonathan, don't you know better than ask for action?!' part of him reproached. The other part couldn't help celebrate the news that there would at last be something for him to do. To each his own.

"Hoshi, ask their coordinates and let them know we're on our way; Travis, set a course when we have them!" His commands were short, efficient. "Ah, Hoshi, also let the science teams know we're detouring for a short while, tell them we'll be back as soon as the emergency's resolved."

Part of him knew that it was something he should have done himself, but he just didn't feel like being the messenger. T'Pol would look at him as if she suspected he'd something to do with it, and truth be told he would'a if he could'a. That made him not wish to face her directly.

 

It took two days before they finally spotted the alien ship, unmoving though life support systems were obviously still on. The vessel was huge, larger than he'd expected. But then, why would he think that a vessel in distress was necessarily small? This one was a transport almost half the size of Enterprise, several decks, at least three to judge by the portholes, and a huge bow. Definitely not a design he was familiar with.

"Hail them, Hoshi, put it on the screen."

He glanced over at T'Pol and was graced with a quizzical eyebrow in return. Now that there was no more data to be collected, she was back on the bridge. He shrugged his ignorance of what was wrong with the vessel, waiting tensely for an image to appear on the main screen.

And what an image. There were a dozen or so of those beings on the alien ship's bridge. These were definitely aliens. Long, tall, and willowy. Graced with external sexual characteristics that firmly established they were female. They had a general air of kinship. They were all tall, their necks elongated beyond the Human norm, their eyes naturally shadowed, their hair a two-tone white and tan.

They were chittering excitedly with each other. Finally, one of them split from the group, came closer to the view of the bridge crew. Archer noticed there was a double edging of some sorts along the lines of the short-legged tunic that hung close to her body. He got up from his chair and walked to the screen.

"I am Captain Archer, of the Federation Starship Enterprise. We've received a distress call."

A pair of huge black eyes blinked repeatedly. She looked stupefied, like she had never seen aliens before. Usually space farers were slightly more accustomed to encountering other humanoids. She started chittering at the screen.

Archer turned to Hoshi, "The universal translator's not working!"

Hoshi was frowning, looked back up at him. "It may take a few moments to calibrate. I don't know what their root language is."

At that moment, the tall alien started talking in Standard. "I am X-Eliantix, Captain of the fulfillment vessel Tarorat. We're experiencing technical difficulties."

Archer glanced at Hoshi. "Fulfillment vessel?" he asked softly. She briefly shook her head, she had no idea what the translator meant. He turned his attention back to the alien. "What kind of technical difficulties?"

"Our engines won't maintain more than life support systems. We need to get back to our planet for repairs." The alien captain still seemed somewhat enervated, to judge by the repeated rapid blinking of her eyes. She was looking fixedly at Hoshi.

Archer turned to Trip, who was looking a lot chipper. This emergency was a godsend for him as well. "Perhaps we can help," Archer replied. He turned to T'Pol. "How's the atmosphere on the ship?"

"The levels are quite acceptable for Human lifeforms, comfortable even." T'Pol dropped her voice. "May I remind you of Starfleet directives -"

"My chief engineer will go over shortly, with a couple of technicians, see what can be done," Archer announced to the alien captain, cutting T'Pol off because she could finish her sentence.

He knew what she was going to say. That he needed to ascertain these aliens didn't present any danger or threat, and were generally inoffensive in their disposition. If he listened to regulations, they'd never do any exploring. Archer trusted his gut instinct, and his gut instinct was that these aliens were inoffensive.

xxx

Tarorat

A silence fell over the bridge as the aliens walked in. A dozen pair of black orbs blinked repeatedly. Finally the Captain walked over to the new arrivals. "What are you?" she asked in a half-whisper.

The alien with the gold hair bared his teeth, though it did not seem to be threatening. "We're Humans, ma'am, from a planet called Earth. I am Charles Tucker the Third, Chief Engineer on Enterprise, but call me Trip."

Trip hesitated, wondering whether it was good manners, but curiosity was the stronger. "And what are you?" he asked.

"We're Aneukarians," X-Eliantix responded. The others stood around her in stupefied silence. Trip almost felt like checking the two technicians with him were not doing anything incongruous. He figured the Aneukarians hadn't dealt with many aliens before.

"I thought perhaps we could have a look at the engines, see if there's anything we can do for you?" Trip flashed his broadest smile again, all southern charm. Three Aneukarians separated from the group and one of them introduced herself as the engineer.

After walking what seemed to be miles of corridor, the six of them were staring at the warp coil and the blinking crystal chamber. Trip frowned, this didn't look too good.

One of the technicians siddled closer as they were taking readings. "Chief, did'ya see, they're all females!" he whispered. Trip rolled his eyes. Like he hadn't noticed. "What d'you think it is?" Awada asked again.

Trip shrugged him off with a shoulder. "We don't know their world. Perhaps the men are much smaller."

"Or perhaps the men carry babies," McBreen cut in, guffawing. Trip rolled his eyes. Since the Xyrillian incident, there'd been plenty of jabs from his men. They loved him to death, and he didnt let it bother him. "Yes, there are worlds where men stay home and have the babies. Get over yourself, McBreen."

"Or perhaps there's no men!" Awada anted up. The three of them chuckled at the thought.


	2. Track 1 - Apoidea Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first treatment of the prologue

xxx

** ACT I **

** _Enterprise_ **

"It's a mess, Jon, we need to do a complete refit of the dilithium cylinder," Trip was talking animatedly when T'Pol walked in. He acknowledged her with a nod before going on, "the best option is to replicate the parts we need here on Enterprise, but I'll need to do a full shut-down for the install. I figure it will take two days at least."

Archer nodded in understanding. "And if you do a complete shut-down, they won't have any life support."

"For two days," Trip repeated. Two days without life support was somewhat of a death sentence.

"Perhaps we could bring them to Enterprise for two days," Archer mulled. "How many of them are there? Forty?"

"Forty-two," Trip replied.

"Captain," T'Pol interjected, "we still do not know if their race is inoffensive or what their intentions are."

"I know, T'Pol, I know," Archer groused, "but what else do you suggest? We can't kill them all in the process of fixing their engines, that'd be counter-productive, don't you think?"

"I am not advocating to deny them aid," his Vulcan officer replied, "but I advise you to proceed cautiously. You are offering to bring an alien group on board who is almost as numerous as the Enterprise's crewmembers. We need to be prepared for the eventuality they are hostile or have adverse objectives."

"I see your point -"

"-Sir?"

Trip suppressed a smile while Archer mentally rolled his eyes . Sometimes he wondered if T'Pol wasn't doing it on purpose.

"I understand, T'Pol. I'll brief Lieutenant Reed. Why don't you work with him at figuring the best set-up. Trip, you'll have to try to go faster than that. I don't want them on board much longer than two days."

"As long as I have my hands on their engines they can't create too much havoc," Trip replied with a smile.

"True enough." Archer looked at both commanders. "In the meantime, why don't we invite Captain X-Eliantix and some of her officers over to dinner, see what they're made of," and quickly, before anyone could ask, "that means check their intentions, T'Pol."

xxx

** _Tarorat_ **

"We don't know anything about these people!"

X-Ealiantix rubbed X-Aljikax's arm. "This will allow us to find out more. You saw who was there on the brige." Her first in command was not adventuresome, but she was very group-minded. "And they've offered to help us. I don't think they would have done so if they had ill intentions towards us."

"But they're asking us to leave our ship and go over to their vessel. What if they want to capture us, make us hostages, or worse?"

"If they did, they wouldn't need to invite us over. We're incapacitated already. All they'd have to do is destroy the ship and pick us up."

X-Aljikax reluctantly nodded.

"And remember the mission," X-Ealiantix went on. "This could be the answer to what we're looking for."

X-Aljikax keened in derision. "Yes, and somehow they'll be compatible! Just like that!" — X-Ealiantix was a good leader, but sometimes she was over-optimistic.

"Our scientists can extract material from anything. I'm sure there'll be something there for us. I just have a hunch," X-Ealiantix went on.

— Obviously, she was in one of her highly optimistic moods — X-Aljikax decided to drop the subject. For the time being.

xxx

** _Enterprise_ **

Archer threw a meaningful glance at Trip, received one in reply. The Aneukarian women had been looking at the two of them all dinner long as if they'd sprouted two heads and he was getting a little tired of the thinly-veiled observation. Especially since they didn't behave the same way with T'Pol. They'd looked at her with interest, and once they'd established she was a Vulcan female, had seemed quite content to interact on a number of different topics of conversation. But every time he or Trip opened their mouth, their guests visibly tensed, as if they'd never encountered men with the gift of speech before.

Perhaps Aneukarian men didn't talk at all and that's why they were so surprised. Not that the could quite lean over and ask in a conversational tone about the male members of their species or why the ship's officers, and a large part of the crew, from what Trip reported, were female. So he was going at it in a roundabout way, trying to get information about the type of planet and civilization Anakeuria was without being too obvious about it.

Fortunately, T'Pol too had caught on the lopsided reaction and was playing her part, lobbing questions at the two Anakeurians that would help all of them get a better understanding of their guests' culture.

By the time Archer proposed, and was turned down as if he'd committed a gross impropriety, after-dinner coffee, he was only too glad to escort their guests back to the airlock and their transport. He gave a long-suffering sigh as the door closed on them and turned to Trip. "Well, I don't know what their issue is with us personally, but I think we can be pretty comfortable they don't have ill intentions towards us."

"We still do not know enough about their culture, Captain," T'Pol commented. "Their reaction to you and Commander Tucker was worthy of note."

So, she had noticed it too. "It may simply be that we're not at all like the male of the species. It was hard to ask directly, I didn't want to offend them. Can you check the Vulcan database, see if you can find anything about their society? And all the other databases, just in case." Though it was doubtful any of the other databases would have any information on the species.

"Most certainly." The mention of the Vulcan database had propelled T'Pol on a different track. "I trust that once we proceed with the repairs on their ship we will resume our initial mission of exploration?"

Archer could have groaned, and he was pretty certain Trip could have too. On the other hand, they'd just gotten a few days reprieve. "Of course we will," he quickly reassured her. Then, to change the subject, "You and Reed have figured out how to host the Anakeurians while we repair their ship?"

T'Pol gave a brief nod. "Lieutenant Reed shares my concerns about the intentions of an alien group residing on Enterprise." Archer refrained from commenting that yes, he would expect as much, Reed was paranoid to start with. "We will triple the Anakeurians in crew member cabins. It may be slightly uncomfortable but it is only for a short duration." She didn't add that having the Anakeurians separated in individual cabins rather than housed together as a group would enable swifter external control if needed.

"Good. Trip, you handle the replicator side, let us know when everything is ready. T'Pol, given the Anakeurians captain's reaction to Trip and me, I think it makes sense to have them come in small groups first, get used to the environment. You and Hoshi will have to play host, it will be easier for them. Round up other women who may want to interact with aliens and don't usually get a chance." He slapped Trip on the shoulder, "You and I are stuck with manning the ship, I guess. A man's work is never done... It's a joke, T'Pol," he added over his shoulder as the two of them started down the corridor.

xxx

** _Tarorat_ **

"What have you observed?" X-Eliantix asked the crewmembers around her. Some of them had gone over to the Enterprise ship, had met the aliens, each with a mandate to take notes about anything and everything.

"There are some like us and many not like us," X-Psilex, one of the younger ensigns piped up. X-Eliantix nodded in agreement.

"Those like us do not seem to be mistreated," X-Smalix offered. X-Eliantix nodded again. The pilot was right.

"They have many databases, one for everything," another specialist brought up.

"What about those who come on our ship?" X-Psilex asked. X-Eliantix made a mental note of her questions. The youth showed promise.

"I can scan them," X-Igofox answered, "so we can learn how they're different. It will give me a basis for research."

"Make sure they don't know about it," X-Eliantix warned. The less the aliens knew about their plans, the better for all of them. "We need to learn more," she added. She turned to X-Igofox . "When you go, let them know you are our healer, find out where their medical facilities are. They must have a medical center. Everyone else, I want a full detail of what there is, how many like us and how many not like us, how the ship operates. Perhaps we won't use any of the information, it all depends on what X-Igofox finds out, but we need to have it."

xxx

** _Enterprise_ **

Malcolm stayed where he was, watching the interaction between the Aneukarians and the crew as Hoshi guided a group of aliens through the mess hall. They all seemed captivated by her, bombarding her with questions. And she was doing a good job of ducking and sidestepping. T'Pol and he had been very clear about which areas of the ship the aliens could see and what information they could access during their short stay.

Archer could afford to be a generous optimist because his chief of security was keeping an eye on things. Unknown aliens presented an unknown risk. At least T'Pol was seeing eye to eye on him with this, for once he didn't feel like he was the lone suspicious soul trying to keep the ship and everyone aboard safe.

He saw several of the male crew members get up and leave. It had become common knowledge that the aliens were not comfortable with men, and there was an abundance of possible reasons why that were offered in private conversations. But most of the men didn't want to make the aliens more uncomfortable, not when they were about to come over for a few days while their ship was being fixed.

He turned to leave. Everyone who interacted with the aliens had to report to him about the conversations and what the Aneukarians were asking for. They'd already made requests for several databases while they'd be guests aboard Enterprise. They were interested in everything in there, and he really meant everything. Some of which seemed downright prurient. He wasn't sure that he should be providing smut to aliens, but if that's what they wanted...

xxx

** _Tarorat_ **

Trip smiled at X-Urwjanx. The Aneukarian engineer seemed a lot less skittish around him. At times it felt like she even forgot he was an alien, as in when they were adjusting the specs for the parts that the replicator was fabricating, or checking the fit of a hard-to-reach element of the drive. Soon enough, everything would be in place and they could start moving the entire Tarorat complement to Enterprise. Then he would be working with his team, and her team, in spacesuits for a good part of it. Spacesuit work was always dangerous. He would be relieved when their engine was repaired, they could start life-support systems again, and he could go back to his daily routine.

"How many crewmembers are on Enterprise?" X-Urwjanx asked as she handed him a duotronic inverter wrench.

"About ninety... Let's see," Trip was counting in his head, "we had eighty-six when we stopped at Coragis VI, and we picked up three new recruits there... so eighty-nine. Yes, eighty-nine." He stretched from where he had been bent over the equipment, freeing the tube. "Why d'you ask?"

"And there'll be enough room on your ship for all of us?" the Aneukarian engineer continued.

"Sure sounds like it. I know Malcolm and T'Pol have been hard at it, doubling up crew-members so you could have space. It won't be too comfortable for a while, but you'll be fine. We all will."

"Doubling-up?"

"Yes, you know, instead of one person to a cabin, they'll bunk with someone else. If they're two to a cabin, there'll be a third." Of course the officers' quarters were off-limit, but she didn't need to know about that. "Enough people volunteered, it's easier that way."

"How do you have two persons to a cabin when you are... you know..." X-Urwjanx hesitated, unsure how to phrase it. Fortunately, Trip picked up on her meaning. "Oh, that. That's easy, you pair men with men and women with women. Of course, there are exceptions, but overall it works pretty well..." He trailed off as X-Urwjanx looked like a deer caught in the headlights, just staring at him with huge black eyes.

Trip wasn't sure what he'd said to offend her, but now seemed a good time to switch the subject. He paused, looked around at the engine room. "It's hard to believe there's only forty-two of you, the ship is much bigger than that. Perhaps you can give me a tour when we're done?"

That seemed to snap the engineer out of her momentary reverie. "Half of the ship is comprised of storage rooms," she explained, "the lower levels." She abruptly stopped herself, busied herself inspecting her tools.

"Storage rooms?" This didn't look like a merchant ship. Trip wondered what they must have in storage.

But X-Urwjanx was calling his attention to the photovoltaic reconfigurator. He picked up on her lead and they both went back to dealing with engine stuff.

xxx

** _Enterprise_ **

"I'll be happy to help you in any way I can," Phlox smiled from ear to ear at X-Igofox , "between colleagues, it's the least we can do." The way the alien woman was staring at him was disconcerting. He half expected her to jump out of her skin if he made an abrupt motion. "Now, when will you be available for a full-body scan? I would love to know more about Aneukarians, add your species to the Interspecies Medical Exchange Database."

X-Igofox didn't seem to be hearing him. Phlox cleared his throat to try and catch her attention. She visible startled, took a step back, and he took a step back in response, fearful he'd scared her. But she caught her countenance quickly, watching him with her huge blinking black eyes. "What are you?" She finally asked.

"Me? I'm a Denobulan, from the planet Denobula. T'Pol and I are the only aliens on Enterprise." He hoped that's what she meant.

"T'Pol?"

"The officer with the pointed ears. She's a Vulcan, from the planet Vulcan."

That seemed to be of great interest to the Aneukarian doctor. "She's not the same as the others?" she went on.

"No, and neither am I." He graced her with another of his smiles.

"Can I get her genome? And yours?"

The request took Phlox aback. It was one thing to want to know everything about Humans and their civilization, obviously the Aneukarians hadn't met too many aliens before, but sharing their entire genetic make-up... That seemed a little bit of an overreach. He couldn't help thinking of Terra Prime and other nefarious groups. His smile faded slightly.

"That is an uncommon request. What do you propose to do with the information? Hmmm?"

"I am a geneticist by formation. It remains a point of personal interest." X-Igofox seemed ready to bolt.

Phlox didn't believe her but projected the impression of being satisfied with her answer. "Of course. Well, perhaps when you come back for that scan, hmmm?" He smiled again at her, clearly impressing he was done handling her request.

As she left his office with an armload of datadisks on Humans, Phlox scowled briefly. She had asked for his and T'Pol's genomes, but not for that of Humans. Perhaps she was interested only because they were aliens. He made a mental note to mention it to Captain Archer when he next saw him. One never knew.

xxx

** _Tarorat_ **

"So that's how many there are?" X-Eliantix asked.

"Yes, Captain," X-Psilex and X-Urwjanx responded as one. X-Eliantix nodded her approval. She addressed X-Igofox, "What about compatibility?"

The healer nodded vigorously, "They are compatible, but I'm not sure about the two aliens. For the other ones, we can strip the material, extract what we need-"

"- Captain," X-Aljikax interrupted, "based on what we know, it looks like the Humans should survive on Aneukaria. We could have unlimited access, take care of the entire population."

X-Eliantix looked closely at her second, blinking. If it were true... "We could save everyone...," she whispered, afraid to voice her hopes too loudly. There was no choice now, they had to do it. "You have the supplies?" she turned to X-Urwjanx.

"I have everything we need, but remember, I won't be on the starship until later. I have to stay on the Tarorat with the engineer."

"We'll disassemble it and bring it over with us, you can easily reassemble it later," X-Eliantix reassured her. "You'll be aboard by the time we need to activate it." She looked around at the assembly, "We'll have two days on the starship to complete our knowledge. I want everyone to start thinking about what they want to learn more about. The Captain has promised we will have access to their databases."

"Why do we need to know more than we do now?" X-Smalix argued. She often voiced the misgivings of the less senior crew members.

"Because we've never seen beings like them before," X-Eliantix responded. "We cannot assume their biology works the same way as ours. We already know it doesn't, but we don't know how it works. If we're mistaken, we could cause their death unnecessarily."

xxx

** _Enterprise_ **

"Think about it, tomorrow at this time you'll be back on your ship, ready to take off!" Archer raised his glass in a toast, followed by his dinner companions. T'Pol accented his toast with an eyebrow. X-Eliantix and X-Aljikax followed suit with their drinks. Overall, Archer was pleased with the state of things. The Aneukarian captain and her first officer had grown somewhat used to him over the past few days, they no longer seemed about ready to bolt whenever he talked. He still felt they were somewhat uncomfortable around him, would have liked Trip there to balance the heavy atmosphere.

Except that his chief engineer was hardly around, shuttling back and forth between Enterprise and the Tarorat. But now everything was ready, the preparations for the refit had already started, the Tarorat support systems had been taken off-line a day ago. The engineering teams would be refitting the engines overnight, then a brief test to make sure everything worked as planned and they'd come back to Enterprise, leaving the Tarorat empty of all occupants while the engines cycled through launch, spewing radiation and pollutants all over the ship. The life-support systems would patiently filter and clean the air, and then the Aneukarians would be back on the Tarorat and off to wherever it was they planned to go.

Another day and they would be back on their ship. The hosting of the Aneukarian crew had gone remarkably smoothly, the aliens came over in three of their shuttles, not complaining about being packed like sardines in there or about having to sleep three to a room. There'd be no complaints about anything. And they'd scarcely be seen around the ship, spending their entire time in their quarters, going through the ship databases, per Reed's reports. Of course, Reed was keeping a precise log of what they accessed and when, and of any attempts to enter the restricted areas of the central computer. But the aliens had been behaving.

Somehow, he felt they had learned a lot more about Humans than the Humans had learned about Aneukarians. But that was because Enterprise was the one doing the hosting. At least they had a good idea where Aneukaria lay, if not exact coordinates. Every last crew member had been engaging the aliens when they were around, getting pieces of information here and there. When they were gone, they'd pull all the pieces together and establish a brief profile of Aneukarian society, to be completed by some future ethnologist group. In the meantime, he owed it to his science teams to go back to where they were before and pick up on cataloguing the rogue stars.

xxx

** _Tarorat_ **

"We're ready, Captain," Trip's voice resonated over the intercom.

"Good job," Archer's voice came over more faintly, "good luck and we'll see you back on Enterprise."

Trip shut off the connection, turned to the five space suits around him, noticing once again that the Aneukarians were taller than they were. Stronger, too, as he'd discovered when they had to re-insert the trilithium oxidizer range. That thing must weight upwards of fifty pounds, and X-Urwjanx had grabbed it with one hand, lifting it easily. Even T'Pol was not as strong.

Awada and McBreen had been left speechless. Trip had commented on it, and X-Urwjanx had looked at him as if there was something wrong with his question, that lifting fifty pounds with a hand was the norm. That's when he realized they really didn't know much about the Aneukarians.

It was a good thing Reed was keeping track of the aliens on Enterprise. He'd made a note to let Reed and Jon know about how strong they were, but hadn't had the time. Actually, he probably should have let them know already. He'd do it as soon as he went back on board Enterprise.

McBreen was asking him a question about the condenser controls, they were not aligning properly, and he went to check, forgetting about other considerations.

xxx

** _Enterprise_ **

"We're ready, Captain," X-Aljikax whispered in the darkened room. Even if the aliens were listening, they wouldn't know what she was referring to.

"Good," X-Eliantix answered. "X-Urwjanx, how are we proceeding?"

"It's almost done. I still need the insert the medium."

"X-Ilgofox has it. She'll give you the cartridge."

The healer puffed up her hair, parting it in the middle to reveal a small canister made of inert material. She handed it to X-Urwjanx. "Here, I checked the dosage against their vital statistics. We'll have plenty of time."

xxx 

> **ACT II**

** _Enterprise_ **

T'Pol woke up from a dreamless sleep. The room was canted in a way that was unusual. Something was not right. She slowly pushed herself up, realized she had fallen asleep on her meditation pad. She had no memory of falling asleep, or being tired. Even if she had been tired, Vulcans didn't require as much sleep as Humans, she should have been able to keep functioning. She brought a hand to her head where a concussive headache was starting to nestle. Perhaps she was sick. She shivered, rubbing her arms, looking down at her short pajamas. the warm air of her quarters was not so warm that she could sleep on the floor without a blanket.

The bed had not been disturbed. She hadn't heard Trip come in, or perhaps he had not. If he had, he would have awakened her, guided her to the bed. She gathered he must have encountered some issues with the engine restart on the Tarorat and had been working through the night. She would swing by Engineering on her way to the bridge, make sure he was reserving enough rest periods for optimal functioning.

But first, she would go to Sickbay, ensure her own optimal functioning. The pressure behind her eyes was relentless, the headache seemed to be intensifying. If something unexpected had happened, she needed to be fully functional. Captain Archer and the crew needed to be able to rely on her.

The ship was quiet, almost deserted. She didn't encounter anyone on her way to Sickbay, however that was not unexpected. Most crewmembers would be going the other way to their stations.

Dr. Phlox was alone in the medical bay, sleeping with his head on his desk, his snores filling the space. T'Pol checked the chronometer on the wall to make sure she was not unduly early. But it was already 0557, the doctor would be awake at this time. In any case his hibernation period was still a few weeks off.

Phlox stirred when she called his name, but did not wake. She steeled herself before gently touching his shoulder, making sure she would not chance on stray thoughts or feelings the sleeping Denobulan was harboring.

It took a more resolute shaking but finally he seemed to wake up a little, opening unfocused eyes on her while he smacked his mouth several times. He suddenly jumped away from the desk and up, almost sending her reeling back in the process. He brought a hand to his head, frowning.

"Are you feeling adequate, doctor?" T'Pol enquired, wondering if perhaps there was a virus on board.

"Yes, yes," the Denobulan passed a hand on his forehead, seeming to stare inside his mind, "I was reading my journals, I don't remember falling asleep."

"I had a similar experience," T'Pol contributed, "I currently have a headache," she added. She thought of Trip, perhaps he had fallen asleep, in the engine room. She wondered if he too would have a headache.

The whirring of Phlox scanner brought her attention back to the doctor. He scowled as he reviewed the readings. "This is most unusual."

Before she could ask for the source of his concern, he had turned the scanner on himself, was checking the data streaming back in response. He finally looked over at her. "It seems you and I have traces of Zupixylonium in our blood."

"Zupixylonium?"

"Yes, a most potent but completely odorless somnifere. It is very similar to one we've encountered it before, remember those aliens who were obsessed with gold?"

"I do." T'Pol shot a side glance at Phlox, keeping herself from reaching up and rubbing her ear — it had been a repulsive experience but she did not remember being so incapacitated by a headache — "But I did not have a headache," she continued.

"That was only because it was a slightly different chemical composition," Phlox supplied, "it looks like this one is not that compatible with Vulcan and Denobulan physiology. I'm administering an antidote, you'll be fine in no time." She offered her neck to his hypo, blinking her relief as the headache started to lessen. Phlox had turned around, was injecting himself with another

"But how-," T'Pol stopped herself, staring at Phlox, her eyebrows knitted in thought. There was little doubt as to the 'who'. She quickly slid off the biobed and strode to the intercom. "T'Pol to Captain Archer." There was no response. T'Pol turned to Phlox, "What is the effect on Humans?"

"Nothing to worry about, they'll just wake up refreshed from a long sleep."

T'Pol nodded, turned back to the intercom. "T'Pol to Captain Archer, come in Captain." There was still no response.

T'Pol looked at Phlox, who stared back at her. Before he could weigh in, she had turned around and was taking off at a run.

=========== 

Archer didn't respond when she rang his door. She waited for a couple of minutes and then walked in. There was reason enough for the breach of privacy. But Archer was not asleep in his quarters, even if the bed showed that he had been there during the night.

There was several possibilities, including that the was already on the bridge since this was the day the Aneukarians went back to their ship, or in the mess hall, in spite of the early hour. He could also be exercising or busy with a number of other ship matters.

She thought back to the empty corridors she had ran down on her way to Archer's quarters. Too empty. The hour was not so early that the ship would be in the middle of delta shift. There was a quick way to find out. She quickly exited the Captain's room and went straight to the bridge.

The bridge was deserted. None of the alpha shift crew was there, which was as expected, but there was also none of the skeleton delta shift crew that would man the ship during the night. The Aneukarian ship was no longer showing on the makn screen, shoring up T'Pol's suspicions.

She strode over to the science console, calling the internal sensor routine. "Computer, show me the location of Captain Archer."

"Captain Archer is not aboard Enterprise," came the metallic voice.

The answer was unexpected, and yet it wasn't. T'Pol's eyes widened in spite of herself as she asked the next question, "Computer, please provide the location of Commander Tucker."

"Commander Tucker is not aboard Enterprise." T'Pol reflexively grabbed the science console, feeling a sense of disorientation sweep through her. Where was Trip? Where was Archer? If something had happened to Trip, the bond would have let her know. Unless that was a side effect of the drug, also. She looked again around the bridge, her fingers tightly gripping the console. Were Phlox and her the only ones left on board?

Ensign Sato entered the brige at a half-run, dispelling that thought. She saw T'Pol and almost stepped back out, before looking around at the empty bridge. Surprise propelled her back in and she walked over to T'Pol.

"I was looking for...," she started, stopped herself. T'Pol observed that the ensign was not ready for duty, had recently stepped out of the shower, that her hair was still wet, not put up with her usual careful precision.

"You were looking for Lieutenant Reed?" T'Pol asked.

Hoshi blushed slightly, took a step back, "Huh, I mean, I wanted to ask him about... we had a training session..." Her voice trailed as she became aware of the baldness of her lie. She stopped, nervously biting her lip, she should have prepared an excuse before she got to the bridge.

T'Pol looked at the Ensign, wondering why she would pretend not to have a relationship with Lieutenant Reed. The existence of their relationship was an established fact, well-known from the crew, even if Captain Archer had never mentioned it. She wondered if perhaps Captain Archer was not aware that Lieutenant Reed and Ensign Sato smelled like each other when they came on the bridge in the morning.

She turned to the console, "Computer, please provide the location of Lieutenant Reed."

"Lieutenant Reed is not aboard Enterprise." She had been expecting the answer,

"What?! But we were just - I was -" Hoshi stammered.

T'Pol fixed her, "Ensign, how did you sleep last night?"

"Well, that's the thing, Malc - Lieutenant Reed and I were talking, and then I woke up. I must have slept really soundly, I didn't hear him..." Hoshi stopped, realizing she was actually acknowledging the existence of their relationship to a superior officer, when she and Malcolm had taken such pain to keep it under wraps. But then these were not usual times. "Oh, crap!" she exclaimed, letting go, "he was spending the night with me, when I woke up this morning he wasn't there, I thought he'd be in the mess hall but he wasn't there either, and he's not in the armory."

"Ensign, Lieutenant Reed is not on the ship," T'Pol interrupted gently. The young woman was in denial about the computer's announcement.

Hoshi seemed to finally hear it. "Not on the ship?! But how could that be possible?! Where could —" She was interrupted by the irruption of Amanda Cole on the bridge. "Captain!" The former MACO turned security guard started before sbe stopped, looking in confusion at T'Pol and Hohsi, at the empty bridge.

T'Pol eyed the security woman coldly. "What is the matter, Specialist?" Vulcans never forgot.

"Commander! The men! They're gone!" Amanda spluttered.

"Gone?" There were many possible interpretations of the expression, and yet part of T'Pol already knew what would come next. "I woke up this morning, the security quarters are empty, its just me and Jennifer!" Amanda exclaimed.

T'Pol had already turned to the science station. "Computer, provide the location of security personnel currently aboard Enterprise."

"Amanda Coles is on the bridge; Jennifer Ygout is on Security Deck 5," came the reply.

The intercom whistled the two-tone call of an incoming transmission. T'Pol walked over to the Captain's chair and palmed the connection open. "Bridge."

"Captain! Uh Commander!" the voice was excited, talking pressing news, "I'm looking for—". The beep of another call paused the connection. Another beep sounded at the same time. T'Pol leaned over the intercom, acknowledging the calls in quick progression. "Hold on for a shipwide announcement, Bridge out." She turned to Hoshi. "Open a shipwide channel, Ensign." Hoshi took two steps to her console, nodding back when the connection was open.

"Attention all crew members, this is Acting Captain T'Pol. There will be an all-hands meeting in," T'Pol let her gaze trail over Hoshi, thinking fast, "the Mess Hall at," a glance at the chronometer showed the time to be 0637, "0705. BC protocol. I repeat, all hands meeting in the mess hall at 0715, BC protocol."

She shut the intercom. BC or buddy check protocol meant everyone who heard the summons would grab their cabinmate and those of the two adjoining cabins. The entire ship would be covered, nobody left unaware.

She turned back to Amanda, checking that she was armed. "Come with me. Ask Specialist Ygout to meet us at the head of corridor C." That was the deck where the Aneukarians were hosted. "Ensign Sato, you have the con."

 ==============

T'Pol knocked at the door to X-Eliantix cabin, Specialists Cole and Ygout flanking her with guns drawn. There was no answer. Not that she expected one. "Computer, override, Commander T'Pol, voice recognition 28474."

"Acknowleged. Override," the computer obediently replied.

The room was empty. T'Pol strode to the wall intercom, "T'Pol to Bridge."

"Hoshi here. "

"Summon Specialist Akhoun to the bridge. Ask her to identify the signature of the Anakeurian ship and lay in a course in pursuit." The discharge from the newly installed engines was massive, they would have no trouble following it.

"Aye, sir."

T'Pol let the com shut, looking at the floor.

"Commander, I've got something!" Amanda called. There, on the desktable, was a data padd well in evidence, obviously begging to be found. T'Pol took it, turning it over in her hand. "Go to the mess hall, get everyone situated," she told the security guards, "I'll join you."

======================= 

T'Pol would have argued she didn't call all all-hands meeting in the Mess Hall based on a hunch but on a logical conclusion inferred from a series of deductive steps. The Mess Hall was too small for an all-hands meeting and yet by the time the doors opened on her it was only partially full. It could easily hold forty-five of the eighty-nine crew members and only twenty-three had shown up. Some looked like they had just gotten off a deep sleep, some were visibly agitated. Of course, the drugs would not have had the same effect on everyone. All conversation stopped as she entered. She looked over the room, acknowledging Dr. Phlox with a nod and noticing the presence of Ensign Harold Willcox at the back of the crowd. There was a line open to the bridge, were Ensign Sato and Specialist Akhoun were slowly tracking the Aneukarian ship.

Counting them and herself, there were twenty-six crew members left. Twenty-six for a ship with a complement of eighty-nine. Were she Human, she might have allowed the enormity of the task ahead to defeat her ever so slightly. But she was not Human and the only logical course of action was to address the situation in the best possible manner in order to rescue the missing crew members.

The crew gathered in a tight semi-circle around her. The anxiety of twenty-two Humans was pressing on her shields, coming at her like a dense emotional cloud that she had to fend off. And Trip was far enough away that the habitual resonance had left the bond, its absence lapping at the edges of her consciousness, making her exert significant energy to prevent it from affecting her decision-making. She would need to constantly steel herself against these intrusions. But first, she needed to explain and yet there was no time to explain, their collective energy would be better spent in action.

"The aliens we were hosting, the Aneukarians, have left Enterprise and abducted sixty-two of our crew members. According to the message they left, they see this as an act of liberation for the remaining crew members, and they wish us godspeed on our journey." She raised her hand to quell the noise that erupted in reaction to her announcement, waiting for them to listen again. "Enterprise is already in pursuit of the alien ship and we plan to rescue our crew members." She paused, letting the information sink in. "We are reassigning everyone to critical ship functions but first we need to ascertain that there the aliens have not sabotaged any of these. Lieutenant Ortiz will provide everyone with their new post. Go directly to your assigned station and start running the verification protocol that will be provided. All exceptions are to be reported directly to the bridge. We will have another all-hands meeting at 0830."

Ingrained military discipline was no match to the emotions roiling the room. People were grouping in two's and three's even as they lined up in front of Ortiz. "Where are the men?!" someone called.

T'Pol could not see the speaker. There was no point hiding the truth. "Apart from Dr. Phlox and Specialist Willcox, there are no males remaining aboard Enterprise. We think they are on board the Aneukarian ship."

There was a lull, as if the information left everyone slack-jawed. "All the men..." a specialist in the front row repeated.

"That is what I said, Specialist Beausang." T'Pol turned to the rest of the room, "We are already in pursuit of the Aneukarian ship. See Ensign Ortiz for your new station. Remember that all exceptions are to be reported directly to the bridge. " She stepped aside as the group started filing past Ortiz.

Phlox sidled to her. "What are you going to do?" he asked.

T'Pol eyed him with equanimity. "We are in pursuit of the Aneukarians." She handed him the data padd. "Here is what they behind. I need you to find out everything you can, we need to understand why they took the men and what they are planning to do with them. Report to the bridge as soon as you have an answer."

Phlox was not deterred. "You think you can handle the ship with a third of the crew?"

"A portion of the crew was not involved with ship operations. If we shut down all non-essential areas I estimate we can run the core functions Enterprise with a complement of forty-eight."

"We're twenty-five instead of forty-eight."

T'Pol noticed that Phlox was not including himself in the roster. "The crew will have to work double shifts, with rest periods of six to eight hours."

"For how long?"

"Until we rescue our shipmates," she almost snapped back. She paused, wondering if Phlox had noticed the burgeoning emotional lapse. He was eyeing her silently, rocking on his heels. "And Trip," he added.

T'Pol faced Phlox squarely. "We do not have a choice, doctor. If you propose we wait here for Starfleet to send additional personnel, may I remind you we do not know the Aneukarians' intentions towards any of the missing crew members."

"But you don't know for how long," Phlox repeated. "Vulcans can work in highly demanding situations for extended periods of time but Humans will become debilitated from excess stress."

"I trust that the chief medical officer will help ensure the crew's physical and emotional well-being."

"And that of its Captain." Phlox's smile took any sting out of his words.

"As you pointed out, doctor, Vulcans can work in highly stressful situations for long periods of time."

"So long as they have a modicum of sleep and meditation, yes." His tone implied he doubted any of it would apply.

T'Pol chose to ignore that statement. "I have alerted Starfleet and let them know we are in pursuit of the Aneukarians. I will have two members of the science team help you sift through the aliens' research into our database, try to ascertain what it is they were looking at."

There was a commotion at the front of the room that drew their attention. Hess was coming in at a run, bumping hard against one of the crew. "Commander! Huh, Captain!" she shouted as she barely stopped in front of T'Pol. "The dilithium converter!" She was gasping for breath, obviously at the end of a long run from Engineering.

"The converter," T'Pol supplied, helping with an eyebrow.

Hesse tried to whisper, but whispering was not in her bag of tools. "They took the dilithium converter!" The Mess Hall went silent as the remaining crew members stared at them in a mix of horror and puzzlement.

T'Pol nodded. She had expected the Aneukarians didn't leave Enterprise with full capacity. "What can be done to replace it?" She knew from Trip that Hesse was the second finest engineer in Starfleet. If it could be fixed, she should be able to fix it.

Thrown back in her comfort zone, Hess started spitting rapid-fire information at T'Pol. "We have two of them, there's a feed loop from one to the other, to harmonize the variances in individual crystals! I can take the other and put it through the replicator, but it'll take a couple of days!"

They didn't have a couple of days. "Is there any way to accelerate the timeframe?"

Hesse shook her head. "The long pole in the tent is the replication. With a couple of extra pairs of hands, I can take the secondary chute apart and put it back together in a couple of hours on each side. That'll save half a day. But that's all."

T'Pol called over to Ortiz. "I need three volunteers for Engineering stat!" There were enough women left in the room and three pealed off to join Hess. T'Pol turned back to Hesse. "How is staffing in Engineering?"

Hesse smirked. "You're kidding, right? How many engineers d'you know that have boobs?!"

A raised eyebrow was her only answer.

xxx

** ACT III **

** _Tarorat_ **

He needed to change position but couldn't. His arms must be caught in the bedsheets. Archer strained to bring his hand out from under the blankets. The effort finally woke him up, that or perhaps it was the "Hey, Captain!" that someone kept saying over and over. Who was in his quarters and why couldn't he bring his arm up? He was sleeping so soundly that he couldn't even fully articulate the thoughts. Slowly, the world of sleep disappeared and he started waking up.

He finally opened his eyes, taking a couple of seconds to register his surroundings, then sat bolt upright, the rush of adrenaline chasing the last cobwebs of sleep. He would have gotten up, but he couldn't, and the reason for his inability to bring his arms up was quite obvious in the shackles that held his arms tied to the wall behind him. Archer tried to turn around, a quick glance confirming the set-up was keeping him neatly seated on some bench, flush to the wall.

He looked around, there were over twenty Enterprise crew members there, all sitting on a bench running the perimeter of the steel-walled room, all shackled. Half the room was still peacefully asleep, the other half in various phases of waking up, pulling disbelievingly on the short chains that held their arms to their side and back. Trip was next to him, his head unselfconsciously pillowed on the shoulder of Chan, who was just waking up.

"Trip, hey, Trip," Archer called. On the other side of the room, Reed was looking at him with relief. He must be the one who had been calling him. In turn, he would help wake up the others. "Everyone, get up!" Archer hollered.

That did the trick.

"What the...!" Next to him, Trip was blinking at Chan, tried to turn to Archer, found out that the couldn't, held on a tight leash as he was. "Jon, what's going on?! Let me sleep." The enginner tried to turn around and burrow his head in Chan's neck, the security man half-amused, waiting for Trip to realize he wasn't T'Pol.

Archer would have none of that. "Trip, wake up!"

That pulled the engineer out of his torpor. Archer realized he must have been going without sleep for quite a while, fixing the engines of the Tarorat. Little help that did them. Finally Trip emerged. "Where are we?! Why are we here?! What's going on?!" He fought against the restraints, a losing battle, quickly slumped back against the wall. This time it looked like he was fully awake.

"I was hoping you'd provide some intelligence on that," Archer drily answered. "All I can say is that this is not Enterprise. Now, considering the only other ship in vicinity was the Tarorat, I guess that's where we are. Do you recognize the ship?"

Trip shook his head. "I've only been in their engine room." He straightened up. "Hey, I asked X-Urwjanx to see the ship and she mentioned there were storage rooms below." He chewed on his lip, "actually, she got pretty silent after that. I didn't pay attention to it." Trip started looking around, scanning all angles of the room. "D'you think that's where we are?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." Archer's tone was curt. He was boiling inside. They'd help the aliens, given them new engines, and that's the thanks he got?! And then there was the small matter that he had been forewarned by Reed and T'Pol that he knew nothing about the Anakeurians of their intentions. He looked around at the room more closely. "What about T'Pol?" he asked Trip.

That set a scowl on the engineer's face. He scanned the room, taking in who was there. "I don't know. I didn't make it to bed last night. And obviously, she's not here." That was obvious to Archer as well.

"I wonder where the women are." Reed's voice floated over them. A handful of the crewmen looked around, their expression quickly sliding towards glum.

"They must have them in a separate room," Archer supplied. He looked around again. "There's only thirty of us or so here. Any idea why they took us and not the others?"

Before Reed could answer a sudden low thud resonated in the room. It didn't sound like normal engine noises. The men looked at each other, some with concern on their face. "Quiet!" Archer ordered. Silence fell on the room. The low thud resonated again. He looked at Trip. "What does it sound like?"

The engineer was scowling. "If that's the sound from their engines we'll be dead in space pretty soon. But that can't be, we calibrated the entire set-up perfectly." Archer looked at Trip disbelievingly. Here they were prisoners of these aliens and what mattered to him was that he did a good job with the engine repair?! If it turned out the engines crapped out on the Aneukarians, he'd give him a medal.

The thud sounded again. And again, in a somewhat regular fashion, not cyclical enough to be mechanic. Trip was getting more and more perturbed as it went, trying to fathom what could cause the engine to misfire that way. It was Reed who almost jumped out before being abruptly yanked back. "Morse! It's Morse code!"

The realization dawned over the room. Everyone put their ear to the wall, trying to locate the source of the dull thuds that sounded more orderly now that they now knew what they were. Finally the source of the sounds was isolated as coming from the short wall on Archer's left, where six or so crew members tried to lean out of the way so as to minimize any interference. Meanwhile, Reed and others were feverishly decoding the message. "E-a-r-u-s..." "Can you hear us!" Private Gamza offered. Considering how many letters they had missed in the initial confusion, his guess made sense.

"Okay, but how do we signal back to them?" Trip wondered out loud.

In response one of the six men along the short wall slammed his back in the wall hard enough to generate a loud thud and make the wall vibrate.

Archer winced. They may need to adjust the pitch or they'd run out of crewmembers. "Ask them how many they are!" he ordered. Part of him hoped that the Aneukarians didn't take everyone aboard Enterprise.

Slowly, over several minutes, they established that the other room held another thirty-two men, for a total of sixty-two. Archer decided against asking the names of everyone in the other room as the information was of limited practical value. It was finally Malcolm who broke down. "Ask them if Ensign Sato is with them," he gruffly asked one of the six. Archer looked at Reed in surprise. The chief of security shrugged, "she's a communications expert, it might come in handy." Archer nodded, mindless of the furtive glances exchanged by the other men in the room.

Reed spelled out the answer, concern and doubt slowly creeping up on the men's faces as they letters came up one after the other, "n-o-w-o-m-e-n-..."

The men looked at each other. "Perhaps they left them on Enterprise," Trip optimistically offered.

Archer shot him a warning stare. It was better not to start speculating on the fate of the women, the last thing they needed was for anyone to bring doubt to the fray. "They must keep them in a separate room," he told the room. "T'Pol is with them, they'll be fine." He craned his neck to look all around, "Everyone, start thinking of ways to get out!"

 ====================

Hours had passed and they were no closer to figuring a way out of the room. And they were growing thirsty and hungry. The forcefield that had been shimmering at the wide entrance to the storage room suddenly fizzled and died out. The sound of approaching footsteps resonated down the corridor. Archer sat upright, tensing up. X-Eliantix and three Aneukarians stepped in, weapons drawn, obviously skittish in spite of the fact all the men in the room were tied up.

Arched eyed them with more than a little dissatisfaction. "What is the meaning of this?! I demand that you free me and my crew immediately."

X-Eliantix walked up to him, "I apologize, Captain, I had no other choice. I'm sure you will agree once we explain. Your men and you will be treated well, I give you my word."

"Your word?! Your word doesn't have much currency with me."

X-Eliantix blinked several times. "We will explain. I need to release the restraints holding you. I only ask that you come peacefully with us, we will explain." The Aneukarians seemed extremely uncomfortable in the midst of the men, the three aliens with her forming a protective barrier, arms drawn, shielding their captain from thirty shackled men.

They walked through what seemed to be miles of corridor before Archer found himself in a large room that looked like a cross between a working room and living quarters. He surmised this must be X-Eliantix's ready room. She pulled out a contraption very similar to a chair and he sat down, repressing the urge to suddenly turn around and shout 'booh' at the three armed Aneukarians behind him. They might be freaked out enough to shoot even though his hands were manacled in front of him.

The three guards left the room and he was alone with the Aneukarian captain. X-Aljikax and a new alien came in, one he remembered seeing talking with Phlox on Enterprise. "And you are?" he asked.

"This is X-Igofox. She is our healer," X-Eliantix replied. She pushed a glass of water in front of Archer and he drank readily. "I am having food brought up. We studied the optimal combination of proteins and nutrients for a Human of your species."

'For a Human of his species'... He wasn't sure what she meant but there were other things on his mind. "Where is the rest of my crew?!" he asked, aware it came out as more of a demand.

The Aneukarian blinked her eyes at him. "The women on my ship, the ones you didn't take."

"The ones like us are on your ship, captain." Archer let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. There had been a slight hesitation in X-Eliantix's voice though, and his antennae were up. "You didn't hurt them, did you?"

In Humans, the reaction would have been affronted. "We would never hurt those like us." X-Eliantix paused. "They'll be fine as soon as they replace the dilithium converter." So that was the hesitation he had noted. They'd left them without warp drive in the middle of unknown space. Not what he'd liked to hear, but on the other hand between T'Pol and Hesse and the others, they'd get the ship back together in no time. They might actually have already repaired it.

"You realize they'll come after you," he commented. "Have you ever encountered a Vulcan before?" might as well warn them.

"They will not pursue us," X-Aljikax confidently countered, "once they fix the converter, they'll realize they're free."

"Realize they're free? Free from what?"

This time both Aneukarians blinked their eyes at him. "From you..." X-Eliantix seemed surprised he would ask the question.

Archer was dumbfounded into silence. He finally found his voice, "From me?"

"From those not like us, from your species," X-Eliantix seemed slightly agitated. "We studied your history from the ship's database, Captain. We know your species has been treating the other species as second-class citizens for millenia."

"The other species...?" Archer had never had such difficulties following a conversation.

"Those like us!" X-Eliantix was now openly frustrated.

"Hold on, hold on a second!" Archer wished one of his officers were there, someone who could tell him he was actually getting what they were saying. "You think men and women are two different species?"

Now the confusion was on the other side of the table. The three Aneukarians looked at each other as if Archer had just dropped a verbal bomb on them. "They're not!" he hastened to add in the silence that has settled on the room. "Men and women! We're the same species, just different sexes."

"Different sexes...?"

Obviously that was not computing. How could they have spent time aboard Enterprise and not picked up on that? On the other hand... "You mean you only have the one sex...?" It was his turn to be hesitant.

The Aneukarians stared at each other in turn. "What do you mean by sex?" that was their healer, X-Igofox.

"Like, you don't have men and women?"

The two Aneukarians seemed to twitch. X-Ilgofox leaned forward. "There is only one species of Aneukarian, those like us."

"Well, men and women are not different species," Archer put his manacled hands in front of him on the table "we're just two different genders of the same species. Human. One species, two sexes, male and female, men and women." He cleared his throat. "As far as the way men have treated women in the past, I can't say it's too glorious, but we've come a long way since. There's a strict conduct code in Starfleet and nobody would ever think of women in a different way. Women serve because they want to."

X-Aljikax eyed him suspiciously. Archer was starting to get that she was the security on the Tarorat. "How do we know what you say is true?" she asked.

"Ask — well, of course, you can't ask the women. Ask any men on the Tarorat, ask any of us. Actually," Archer just realized he had another angle, "a couple of them are in relationships with the women you left on Enterprise." He could see from the rapidity of the blinks that the concept was a hard one for the Aneukarians to fathom. "Men and women have relationships. The sexes are attracted to each other. Well, mostly." It was obvious this was way above his audience's grasp. He needed to build his case quickly. He leaned back in his chair, projecting an aura of bonhomie, "So it seems we've both been victim of a huge misunderstanding. You can now release us and get us back to our ship."

X-Eliantix shook her head from side to side. "We cannot. We need your genetic material."

It was Archer's time to blink. "You need our genetic material..." He wished Phlox was there, he could explain what they meant. "Why ours?" — after all, they thought they were a different species.

"Wel,, the genetic material of those like us is of better quality but yours is more conveniently located," X-Igofox jumped in, "your species, or sub-species, is loaded with easy access features."

"How so?"

"Well, for one, your reserves of genetic material are external, so there is no need for somatic invasion, and they are also already optimally compacted, plus you have an access tube."

All of a sudden Archer had a sense what they might be talking about. He felt himself blush. But this was no time to be embarrassed. He looked at X-Eliantix askance. "And you need our genetic material because... you're running out?" This was getting weirder by the second.

X-Igofox nodded vigorously. X-Eliantix started speaking, "Fifty years ago, a comet came very close to hitting Aneukaria. Fortunately it passed through our atmosphere and did not make contact, even though there was massive destruction from sonic waves. It was only years later that we realized the comet had dispersed radiation throughout our atmosphere. The impact was drastic. The DNA of all living Aneukarians was affected, so much so that most of our offspring cannot survive past infancy. Our entire species was condemned to disappear unless we found new reserves of unpolluted DNA. We need a reservoir of error-free DNA. The Tarorat was launched with a crew of fifty individuals, to try and find a compatible source. We had been looking for over a year when we lost engine power and Enterprise came by."

"There are more and more irregularities in our stores of reserve material. We lose 92% of each replacement generation," X-Igofox spoke in turn. "The only hope for our civilization is to extract and graft healthy root DNA and once we filter out various factors the DNA of your species is highly compatible. Your genome is different than ours but there are enough points of similarities that our doctors will be able to extract what we need." 

"But why didn't you tell us?"

"We apologize for the ruse and for the necessity to abduct you but desperate times call for desperate measures. Based on your historical treatment of those like us, we didn't think you'd be willing to help."

Archer shook his head. "But why didn't you just ask?! We could have helped you! I told you about the Federation, about all the worlds that are part of it. You'd have access to all the genetic material you wanted. The Interspecies Medical Exchange could help your scientists figure out the best treatment. You wouldn't even need to join as a member!"

Three pair of black eyes blinked their common befuddlement. "Perhaps over time," X-Eliantix finally said, "but the survival of my world is at stake now. I'm sure you understand, Captain."

"Wait —," Archer, "you don't need to abduct us. Bring us back to Enterprise and we'll help you. I'm sure we'll find volunteers on Enter —," he stopped himself short, eyeing the Aneukarians narrowly. "What happens to us after you use our genetic material?"

"Based on our understanding of your biology, your species produces vast amounts of material over their lifetime. There are millions of Aneukarians in need of replenishing their reserves. More than all of you combined can provide but we hope that with proper care we can address most of the population."

"So you're going to keep us there as...," — were they saying what he thought they were saying? He thought for sure he must be mistaken —, "a 'reservoir' of genetic material?"

"You will be well taken care of, Captain," X-Igofox broke in, "it is our interest that you are maintained in optimal health for a very long time."

His head was already reeling, he might as well follow this all the way to the rabbit hole. "And what you want from us, from the sixty-two male prisoners...," he wasn't sure how to express it.

"...will be from you to extract genetic material on a regular basis." X-Igofox supplied helpfully. She wondered what the Human captain found amusing.

 xxx

** ACT IV **

================================ "Acting Captain T'Pol's log - It has been two days eighteen hours and fifty-six seconds since we discovered the Aneukarians abducted all the Human men on Enterprise. We have effectuated repairs on the dilithium converter and are in pursuit of the Tarorat though we are limited to impulse speed in order to keep track of the ship's ion trail. Only critical functions are being manned and the entire crew complement is rotating through Engineering in shifts. Due to the current shortage of personnel, Specialist Harold Wilcox has been released from custody and is being treated as a regular crew member after providing a cultural oath that he will not interfere with the rescue operation. Dr. Phlox and the science team have not yet arrived at a conclusion as to the reason for the Aneukarians' abduction of all male crewmembers and their apparent misperception that they have freed us from an oppressive species. "

 ================================

T'Pol shuts off the recording. She tries to keep the captain's logs reasonably succinct, without the level of detail that would be expected on a Vulcan ship. She turns it on again.

================================ 

"Morale has been adversely impacted by the events of the past days and I have designed Ensign Sato as Acting First Officer and Chief Communications Officer, to help regulate expectations and maintain open communications with the crew."

 ================================

It is a logical extension of the ensign's duties as the officer in charge of Communications. She has appointed her in acknowledgement of the fact she is reaching the limit in terms of her emotional understanding of Humans. The mood of the crew has been subdued since the very first all-hands meeting. She does not understand why it is so. Once it was confirmed that all the men were abducted, save for the one lone ensign and Dr. Phlox, she would have expected the resolution of the mystery to lift morale. Human reactions remain somewhat unpredictable for her.

There is an additional reason. She finds dealing with the anxieties of the crew without the reassuring certainty of the bond to be overly taxing. Since the very first all-hands meeting, she has had no time to herself, other than a quick change of clothes at the beginning of each day. There was the second all-hands meeting, to announce which parts of the ship would be shuttered, to minimize the drain on ship's resources and the number of hands necessary for maintenance, and poll crew members as to their personal interests. It was logical to redraw assignments according to those interests. Then the meetings with the different heads of sections, or acting heads, fortunately only a handful of ship's functions had no female crew member at all; checking on the replication of the dilithium converter; helping the science teams decipher the computer trail left by the Aneukarians; taking the helm when Ensign Sato went on her rest period; filling other shifts as needed; or as required, in Engineering.

The constant assault of high-pitched Human feelings and emotions is pressing on her shields in a way that is almost physically painful, the waves of Human anxiety feed off the uncertainty of the silent bond. A Vulcan's emotional register must remain on an even keel or there is a chance primal passions will overcome. It would be illogical to let unproductive emotions rule when the ship is being appropriately staffed and a rescue mission is under way, but she is not always logical where Trip is concerned. She mentally holds on to the mantra that a consistent and thorough application of a research algorithm along with the information already obtained will lead Enterprise to where the Aneukarians are holding the male crew members. And Trip.

The research algorithm is hard to come by. Lieutenant Reed would know what to do, which searches to prioritize. Even though she would prefer all hands available for the pursuit and ship's functions, she has had to carve out a half-dozen crew members for the investigation of the reasons why the Aneukarians took the men and to what intent, the clues as to which system they came from. It is painstaking work, one that Lieutenant Reed would be more efficient at. There have been a couple of occasions where a later method proved to be far superior to their initial approach.

But Lieutenant Reed is not there, and his function is one of many where they lack the appropriate resources. She fills in where she can, over the years her position as First Officer has given her more of an insight on the internal processes of each department, she can guide the personnel that is left. With enough time, she could fully learn each of those areas, but time is not what they have.

In the middle of it all Dr. Phlox pulled her aside to let he know he had uncovered why crewman Willcox had not been taken by the Aneukarians. She initially assumed a gender-transition, then based on the doctor's demeanor thought it had to do with the disappearance of the men. Which it did, to an extent. Specialist Wilcox is not Human, a well-engineered DNA obfuscation that could have fooled the doctor if he were not specifically looking into why the Aneukarians left him behind. A Pakled spy, genetically modified to ressemble a Human male. Cole and Ygout would have much preferred keeping him in the brig, but custody requires resources. And that, they do not have. A pair of hands is a pair of hands, alien or otherwise.

Pakled or not, Specialist Wilcox is just as intent as the rest of the crew on retrieving the sixty-two missing crewmembers. If only for the fact that Enterprise limited to only critical functions is not the most comfortable ship, especially since its acting captain has declared kitchen detail to be an unnecessary use of resources. Emergency rations are neither palatable not popular but as she told Dr. Phlox, if their mission fails they will have time to cook full meals while waiting for rescue. Her own situation is better than in the Expanse. Starfleet has incorporated a vegetarian option in the emergency rations. A single option, meals on end of eating the same slightly nutritionally deficient quickzip pack. Phlox has already planned to provide the supplements required for proper copper-hemoglobin formation.

 ================================

"Acting Captain T'Pol's Log - It has been ten days and five hours since the Aneukarians abducted the Human men. We are still in pursuit of the Tarorat. We were able to expand the range of sensor-reading by parsing out the DNU-optical transmitters and regenerating the morcoid array and we can use warp speed on short stretches. Lieutenant Hess reverse-engineered the data in the replicator and is confident that the Tarorat has a maximum speed of warp 3. Science teams are overlaying potential trajectories of the Tarorat against Vulcan charts and I am in the process of building a computational model to estimate the probabilities of various courses. If we can locate Aneukaria, we should be able to reach it ahead of the Tarorat. The crew is holding up in spite of an extended period of double shifts."

================================ 

"T'Pol!" The doors swoosh open and the doctor walks excitedly into the ready room. She makes a mental note to get a lock installed once there are enough hands on board. "I think I've got something!"

"Unless it is the coordinates of the planet Aneukaria..." T'Pol stops the sarcastic comment before it fully escapes her. "Yes, doctor," she quickly recovers.

Not quickly enough for Phlox's medical acumen. "I told you even Vulcans need a minimum of sleep or meditation, yes? It's been ten days already, perhaps now that things are in some semblance of order you can take time and sleep, hmm?" Phlox smiles at her. "Unless you want your friendly doctor to make it an order," he pointedly adds.

"Medical officers may not relieve command during an emergency situation."

"Unless the situation has stabilized, Starfleet regulation 61-AZ16, which it has."

"Very well, doctor." She needs to preserve her energies for their common survival. She will meditate. Of course, she does not say when. Nor does she mention that she has tried to meditate but has not been able to, the anxiety about Trip's fate keeping her anchored to the present and the now.

If Phlox is surprised at the sudden reversal, he doesn't show it. "Specialist Nancy Gordon helped figure it out," he is animatedly going on, "you owe to use her, she's really good." T'Pol refrains from snapping back that Specialist Gordon is one of her scientists. She does need to meditate. She interrogates the doctor with one eyebrow, waiting for him to speak. Obviously, it is best for her to minimize verbalizations.

Her non-reaction forces the Denobulan into a more measured tone. "We've been sifting through what they've been looking at in the ship's database, trying to find some thread of explanation. They were only aboard for slightly over twenty-four hours, forty-two of them, so they could only cover ten percent of what we have. We kept seeing the same thing but we couldn't figure out what they were looking for. Gordon came up with a brilliant idea." Phlox stops, smiles at her. "Actually, you have a hand in it, too. Remember when you declared the kitchen to be a non-critical ship function?"

T'Pol is incredulous that Phlox would ask her if she remembers when it was only ten days ago. And when he reacted very emotionally to her decision, arguing crew morale until she pointed out that cooking three meals a day for twenty-seven crew members would require two more crew members than they had the luxury to spare. She remains silent.

"Well, it turns out that the crew listened to you." T'Pol refrains from an acerbic comment about why that would be surprising. She really needs to meditate.

"When you put the kitchen on the non-critical list, they stopped all related functions. And I mean all of them. Including dealing with the refuse." Phlox is starting to gesticulate animatedly. "The refuse which includes the meals that the Aneukarians didn't finish."

T'Pol nods, she's starting to see where this is going. Kitchen refuse usually gets compacted before being recycled through the engines. If it was not compacted — evidently it was not recycled, or the doctor wouldn't be talking about it — then the clues it might hold were not tampered with. She waits for Dr. Phlox to continue.

"So all we had to do was recover the refuse and start matching the DNA we found to that of the crew."

T'Pol nods again, that explains the fingering out of Ensign Willcox. "And what didn't match was Aneukarian DNA," she finishes. For once, a sarcastic remark doesn't come first. Perhaps talking about science is a good antidote to the lack of meditation.

"Exactly!" Phlox beams, as he is wont to do whenever he can mentally collaborate with her. "And we extracted enough DNA that it looks like we've gotten forty out of the forty-two Aneukarians."

T'Pol raises an eyebrow. There is an ancillary question as to why two of the aliens did not eat. Perhaps one of them was the engineer. Based on her own observations, this is a group that often forgets to eat when they are dealing with a technical problem of exquisite complexity. She waits patiently for Dr. Phlox to finish.

"And what we found," Phlox pauses for emphasis, "is that most of their DNA is damaged. I cannot figure the cause, and when we correct for age differences, the damage seems to have happened at exactly the same time!" he finishes. "It must have been some kind of external influence that gravely compromised all of the Aneukarians. Possibly an environmental disaster of planetary scale. Or it could have been artificial. We don't know. But what we do know is that their society is doomed unless they find a way of repairing it, because the recombinant DNA is not viable."

"Recombinant DNA?"

"I coined the word myself. Another peculiarity is that they only have one sex."

T'Pol bites back the comment that so does most everyone she knows. She really does need to meditate.

"But I don't think that's why they took the men," Phlox goes on.

"What is your hypothesis as to why they abducted only the male crew members?"

"I do, but purely based on a species-centric extrapolation from our reactions." He goes on when he sees T'Pol is waiting for an explanation, "Think of it in reverse. If we suddenly encountered a species with a single gender, it would take us a while to figure out there were no men or women. We'd be trying to organize everything we found according to the structure we're familiar with. I think that's what happened. They only have one gender. So by extension, the other gender is neither expected, nor normal. If it was us, our first thought would be that it is an invasive species, or perhaps a parasite, we wouldn't think of a symbiotic relationship until further down the road. And pretty much everything in the historical database confirmed that misperception."

"And that is why they mistakenly thought they were liberating the crew..." T'Pol concludes. She walks up to the window, hands behind her back. "But then why take the men, why not summarily execute them?" The question is logical to the Vulcan mind, even if a Human mind would recoil from its expression.

"The DNA!" Phlox exclaims as if it were self-evident.

"But they are male?"

"That's only a minuscule part of the information. If we compare Human DNA with that of the Aneukarians, the redundant parts of the Human DNA almost exactly match the damaged part of the Aneukarian one. And it's already packaged for reproduction. All they have to do is lift and splice."

"They took the men for their DNA?" As a Vulcan, this intimates images of gory evisceration. Phlox sees her eyes widen, realizes he's faced with yet another species-centric extrapolation.

"It's not the same with Humans," he hastens to remind her. "Actually," he smiles broadly, "I am pretty confident no harm will come to the men."

================================ 

"Acting Captain T'Pol's log - Three weeks, two days and seventeen hours since the Aneukarians abducted the men. We have entered what we believe to be Aneukarian space, based on a triangulation of the general coordinates provided by the Aneukarians and the extrapolation of their warp trajectories. The ion trail from the Tarorat has faded and we are looking for a Minshara-class planet that would be Aneukaria."

================================ 

T'Pol shuts off the recording, turns back to the computer in the ready room which she has linked to the science console. She blinks repeatedly as she fights to focus on the image on the screen.

'We are looking for a Minshara-class planet' is somewhat of an aggrandizement. She is the only one looking, everyone else is too busy running the ship. Efficiency is down to numbers she has never seen before. Which makes running the ship even more of a drain on resources.

She gets up, shivering, to raise the temperature in the ready room and realizes that she has already reached the computer-set maximum tolerable temperature for Humans. To go above it would raise an alarm and unnecessarily divert resources. She is reminded of this, which means she must have tried before. The days are blurring into each other.

Vulcans can go without sleep for extended periods of time. She's a Vulcan. Therefore she can go without sleep for extended periods of time. Fatigue is already dulling the rational consideration that this does not apply when they have to be physically active all day long, like she's had with the double- and triple-shifts. And that it certainly does not apply when they cannot meditate.

She checks the chronometer, similarly unaware that she should know what time it is, then braces herself against the sudden drop in temperature and steps onto the bridge. The ready room will feel a lot warmer when she comes back.

Ensign Sato is at the helm, where she has been for three weeks straight apart from her shifts in Engineering. "Your relief," T'Pol announces as she comes near and the ensign silently gets up. T'Pol slides into the seat and enters the coordinates for the latest planet that the computer has identified as having the possibility of life.

Hoshi is too tired to smile at T'Pol as she gets up. All she wants to do is sleep, take a shower, eat a warm meal in the mess hall, and sleep again. At least she will get to do the first part but when she wakes up she'll have to go straight to Engineering. But she'll get to sleep. Based on the fine lines accumulating under the Vulcan's eyes she doubts their captain is sleeping at all.

 ================================

"Acting Captain T'Pol's log - We have located Aneukaria. We are approaching at quarter impulse. There is no sign of a defense perimeter. We will reach it in less than two days."

 ================================

She has forgotten to record the time since the men were adopted - correction, abducted. T'Pol pushes off from the desk. She will do it on the next log. Her shift in Engineering is about to start.

Work in the engine room is loud and smelly, consoles beeping incessantly, the clanging of pipes as the fuel mix cycles through, the creaking of the exhaust plumbing as the spent mix cools before it can be safely stored, the gagging smell of coolant fluid, the metallic tang of oil, the flowery scent of the crystals, all mixing into a perfume that will never know commercial success.

At least the engine room is temperate, especially towards the back wall where ventilation doesn't reach very efficiently. The lack of ventilation, the smell and the noise combining with exhaustion create a brief moment of disorientation, the feeling that one is going to fall. She breaks the impending fall, which is only a transient sensory perception, reaching out for the first available solid support, not realizing it is one of the exhaust tubes. There is a flash feedback, the hand is instantly retracted, not quickly enough to avoid the burns, the shocked nervous system forcing out a scream. She cradles the burned hand, trying to bring the pain under control.

Lieutenant Hess is there, talking, "You're going to Sickbay."

"I am fine—"

"This is Engineering and I am the acting Chief Engineer. You have no status here. You're going to Sickbay. If you want, I can have someone walk you there."

"That will not be necessary."

The doors to Sickbay open and Dr. Phlox turns around. "Ah! Not a minute too soon." He quickly walks over with concern on his face. "Let me see. Hmm, it's only a second degree burn but it's fairly extensive. Get on a biobed and I'll pull the dermaregenerator."

The doctor is looking at the monitors above the biobed. They are spewing out what should remain private but there is little one can do about it. Kaiidth.

"And how long did you think you could pull off three shifts a day without any sleep?"

There is a measure of relief that Dr. Phlox uses the word 'sleep' and not 'rest'. Rest would mean meditation. One would have to admit that one has tried to meditate but that meditation has been difficult if not impossible to achieve, and unsatisfactory. How can one meditate when one's bondmate is missing, when the bond provides no direction as to whether he is alive and well, or not.

T'Pol doesn't answer. The doctor doesn't seem to be expecting an answer, and deftly ministers to her hand, wraps it in a protective layer. As soon as he is done she is sitting, ready to get up.

"And where do you think you're going?"

"I have not completed—" She is interrupted by a prick on the side of her neck. — Did Dr. Phlox... She does not finish the thought.

 ================================

She is in a hotel of some type. Large white hallways, white marble, luxury settings. She needs to locate Trip, he is in the hotel, too. She is at the front desk, she asks the alien behind the counter whether they have a guest by the name of Charles Tucker. He points her towards a recessed area on the side where she can call directly to the rooms. She is about to open the com when she hears, "You were looking for me?" She turns around and it is Trip, standing there. Her katra soars on a wave of delight. 

================================ 

The sensation is so intense she wakes up, blinking at the white antiseptic setting of Sickbay. She sits up. "Well, well, well," Dr. Phlox is at her side, "at least you got three hours of sleep. I didn't want to put you under longer, I know you need to be on the bridge," he adds.

She blinks at the doctor, her mind and soul still wrapped around the presence of Trip. She cannot deny the enforced rest was beneficial. Did she dream or was it the white space? Vulcans do not dream. Somehow she feels more at rest, her prodding mind reassured.

They are getting closer.

xxx

** ACT V **

** _Aneukaria_ **

There could be no argument that the Aneukarians were treating them well. Their journey had been uneventful and semi-comfortable, once X-Eliantix and her crew had prepared individual cabins for them, apologizing daily for having to keep them locked up. It was one thing to break out of their quarters on Enterprise, when they knew the ship's ins and outs like the back of their hands, another entirely when they'd never seen the interior of the Tarorat before. But they had quickly figured out how to communicate and were busy preparing their escape when they were cut short by their arrival on Aneukaria.

Not at all the arrival they were expecting. They found themselves celebrated, feted, the highest dignitaries of Aneukaria all pressing for opportunities to be seen with the Enterprise men. They represented the hope of an entire world. Since then, everyone had been falling over themselves to ensure they were well taken care of while the Aneukarian geneticists scrambled to develop efficient methods to recover their DNA. In short, Archer had almost no reason to complain.

And he hated every minute of it.

It reminded him of their return from the Expanse, and that had already been a hard pill to swallow, instant fame, millions knowing his name, all kinds of buildings being built or renamed in his honor. He had saved the Human race after all, he had saved Earth. But he had chosen to do so, his crew had all chosen to follow him into the Expanse, at high personal or social cost, sometimes at the cost of their lives. And that had been fine.

But to find himself little more than a pampered pet, his entire value based on his potential as a stud, really burned him. It didn't matter how much the Aneukarians praised and valued him and his men. They were not free. They had not been free for thirty days now and heads were going to roll when they were free again. Not that he could fault the Aneukarians. Not exactly. Actually, if he thought about it long enough, and god knows he tried not to, he could see himself doing the same. Wasn't he the one who'd stolen their sole warp coil from the Illyrians?

There'd be nobody to come after him then and make him give it back. But now there'd be plenty of people coming after the Aneukarians to wrestle him and his men away. Starting with T'Pol. She must already be on her way, she'd better be, preferably with a Starfleet armada in tow. He spent hours daydreaming various battle scenarios, each time Enterprise leading a victorious Starfleet and bringing the Aneukarians to their knees, begging for mercy. And if she didn't show up and if Starfleet didn't come, he would do it himself.

They would do it themselves. Because there was not one man in the lot who was happy with his situation. A jail was a jail was a jail. Gilded or not. Valued specimen or not. All the care in the world did not make a difference. Freedom was what mattered. Freedom to choose where they would go in the next day, the next hour, the next minute.

Plus, there was the looming question of how exactly the Aneukarians were proposing to harvest what they needed, a faint and distant threat that grew on the horizon with each passing day.

xxx

** _Enterprise_ **

Aneukaria was a distant marble in space, only visible when the sensors were magnified to their full capacity. The ship was silent, its engines muted. Its captain was staring at the main screen, still as a statue.

Hoshi blew a stray strand of hair off her face, turned around to look at T'Pol. They'd been spending most of the past month together on the bridge, she no longer cared about decorum. "I thought we were going to rush them?"

The return eyebrow was expected. And yet not. "We will ask that they return the men expeditiously, Ensign."

That actually took a couple of beats for Hoshi to decipher. She chuckled, "No, I meant I thought we were going to attack quickly..., huh," that too could be misunderstood, "to jump on them...," she shook her head, aware she was just getting in deeper. "It's a reference to an ancient sport, American football. They would rush downfield to overcome the other side's defenses."

Silence greeted her. Hoshi inwardly rolled her eyes. How could someone possibly be so concrete? On the other hand, it was true T'Pol was exhausted. They all were. The Vulcan had come back to the bridge with a bandaged hand, Hess had told her that T'Pol had fallen asleep on her feet.

T'Pol looked at her for a couple of seconds and then suddenly leaned over the intercom. "Ensign Ortiz, I need six scientists on the bridge. You can divert resources from Engineering. Specialist Cole, I need weapons to be fully staffed. Let Ortiz know what you'll need." She seemed to think then hit the com again, "Lieutenant Hess, we will be cutting off the engines for a while. You can release personnel as directed by Ortiz."

She shut off the intercom, looked back at Hoshi. "I will be in Sickbay."

Hoshi stared at her leaving the bridge, biting her lip. If something was wrong with T'Pol… She couldn't even finish the thought. Nothing could be wrong with her.

She almost sobbed out, thinking about Malcolm, about never seeing him again. She shouldn't be so emotional. They had Aneukaria in their line of sight, they'd go in, knock a few heads, get the men back. It must be that she was emotional because she was so tired.

xxx

** _Aneukaria_ **

Archer raised two fingers ever so slightly as he walked past Trip coming the other way in the hallway. The engineer was not looking towards him, seemed to not have seen him, except for the two fingers that floated just above the others as he went by.

Good. They would meet two hours from now. Count on Trip to find the one corner in the entire building close to where the equilment was located, creating a background noise that drowned their conversations.

The rest of the men would organize a volley game, everyone's attention would be riveted, the Enterprise crew making a show of gambling and taking an active interest, the Aneukarians guards on the sidelines, worried that the men were going to hurt themselves, twitching at every fall, every scraped knee, ready to go in and interrupt the game. Nobody would be paying attention to the whereabouts of three men, even if they happened to be the three most senior officers.

Their captivity had been a semi-pleasant interlude and all, but someone needed to figure out their escape.

xxx

** _Enterprise_ **

 

T'Pol stared at the assembly of women, one Pakled male and one Denobulan. The regular all-hands meetings suggested by Hoshi seemed to have helped lessen the overall anxiety of the crew, the effort to maintain her shields was not as much of a drain. A line was open to those who could not leave their post. Phlox nodded at her. He was ready.

"We are one billion nine hundred forty-eight million six hundred twenty-six thousand three hundred and twenty-one point seventeen miles from Aneukaria," she started, "and I have ordered Enterprise to remain in position for the next twenty-four hours." There were a few exclamations, but she ignored them. "We will resume our progress at 0800 tomorrow. The only teams on duty for the next two shifts will be in the Intelligence and Weapons areas, and the kitchen detail. Warm meals will be available from 1145 to 1745 today." She paused for emphasis. "We need to be ready for battle when we arrive at Aneukaria. Starting now and until tomorrow 0800 everyone else is on forced rest. Dr. Phlox will be managing all ship functions during that time."

Excitement floated through the room as the tension of an upcoming engagement warred with the relief at finally getting some rest and a warm meal. Hoshi was staring silently at the Vulcan. Did she really plan to engage in battle? A whole planet? With one ship, half manned by a skeleton crew? Someone pinch her awake now. Muted conversations didn't last long as everyone hurried out and to their quarters. She left with along with them.

Finally, only Phlox and T'Pol were left. He looked over at T'Pol, "Do you really think we're going to go to battle?"

She had her hands behind her back, looking outside the portholes at the star-studded expanse. She looked down at the floor then turned to face Phlox, "The Aneukarians have not been hostile and their actions indicate misunderstanding more than malice. I hope they will agree to release the men once their views are corrected and we explain how the Federation can help them."

"You hope?" Phlox gently teased.

"We are going into an unknown situation with an unknown counterpart without any knowledge of their cultural predispositions. When the odds cannot be calculated, hope is an appropriate response," T'Pol deadpanned.

Phlox cleared his throat, careful about what he said next, "You are going to rest?"

T'pol continued staring silently at the windows, "It would be illogical not to. I need to make sure I am functioning optimally."

That was a surprise. He nodded. He had no qualms about taking care of the ship alone, he'd done it in the Expanse, and this time he wasn't going to hallucinate. But they were jumping into the unknown, to face an ill-known species and the stakes were large. He hoped somehow things would work out for all of them.

xxx

** _Aneukaria_ **

"We don't even know where we are on the planet!" Reed exclaimed.

Archer sighed, "I agree, it's somewhat of a harebrained scheme but at least we'll be out. Once we are free, we can split into smaller groups, try to make a go of it."

"We'd have to find the way to their spaceport, then find a way to steal a transport of some kind and then hope that somehow there's a Federation ship out there waiting for us, and all that before the Aneukarians recapture us," the security lieutenant was adamantly shaking his head 'no'.

Archer eyed Reed through narrowed eyes. When did he become the resident Vulcan? Fortunately Trip was nodding his own vigorous assent to Archer's plan. The engineer had been fairly subdued since the their abduction. He was the only one who didn't seem to find anything even remotely humorous in how the Aneukarians proposed to collect their genetic material.

"I say we go for it. They won't hurt us because we're too precious to them, so worse that can happen is we're back here and in the meantime we have a little bit of a better idea about the place. For the next time." Trip was getting animated. "Because I'll keep trying until I get off this forsaken planet."

Archer eyed Trip closely. The engineer was more adamant than what seemed warranted. Trip had to know that eventually Starfleet and the Federation would find them, even if T'Pol was not the one leading the charge. It just meant it would take a little longer. He pushed the budding concern about his friend out of his mind.

xxx

** _Enterprise_ **

Walking into her quarters was almost like stepping into a different world. It had been weeks since she had fully been there. Once she was settled she made a beeline for the meditation corner, folding gratefully into her usual pose.

The presence of Trip still resonated within her and she did not have any difficulty slipping into the upper levels of mindful relaxation. Soon, she was in a serene environment of white mists, her eyes and mind and senses freed from a constant barrage of stimuli.

"And where exactly did you disappear to?" a voice in the back of her almost made her jump.

She quickly recovered. Trip? She got up, turned slowly towards the voice. It was Trip. So the time before had not been a dream.

"I have been here the entire time," she couldn't help the peevish tone in her voice. He always did that to her, bring her emotions close to the surface. And with a sizeable sleep deficit, her emotions were already very close.

He was grinning at her, obviously enjoying the fact he'd gotten a rise out of her. But then he sobered up. "I thought you weren't gonna come back," he said more softly.

"Trip?" she said again. Something was not right, but she couldn't put her finger on it. "Are you all right?"

He was shaking his head. "The Aneukarians, they want genetic material from us..."

"Yes, Dr. Phlox was able to ascertain they need to replenish parts of their DNA with Human DNA."

"It's not that. It's," he swallowed, "you know what happened with the Orion women?" he was looking at her beseechingly, pleading with her to understand.

But she didn't. "The Orion women," she blinked, wondering about a logical connection between the Orion women and the Aneukarian single-sexed aliens.

"How I was completely unaffected by their pheromones," Trip went on when he saw she wasn't quite connecting things.

"You expect to be unaffected by the Aneukarians...," she proposed, "and that is going to present an issue?" She still did not see the connection between that and genetic material. She was trying to maintain a scientific distance from what he was saying, pushing back a primal wave of blinding anger. He should know better. She was a Vulcan.

"No, no..., not quite." He took a deep breath, "Listen, the Aneukarians, they got some material while they were on Enterprise, got some ideas about stuff that Human men find exciting, you know what I mean?" She didn't have to admit she didn't, Trip was already going on, "Well, they've been showing us things, trying to figure out the best way to get what they want... Except, these kinds of things... They just don't work for me. I think it's the bond, it's like the Orion thing."

"And that presents an issue for you...?" T'Pol was exerting a formidable amount of restraint not to give way to the upswell of emotion that was directing her to maim and kill - she didn't know what exactly. Trip had called it "stuff".

"No, it's not what you think. But the Aneukarians, I can't shake the feeling they're looking at us like livestock, that if they don't get what they want they'll just get rid of us. Or some of us."

His remarks re-established a scientific perspective, allowing to maintain some distance from what he was saying. "And you presume the reason you are not giving them what they want is the bond, not any issue with the stimuli?"

Trip passed a hand in his hair in the way only he could, "Well, yeah...," he had obviously not considered that possibility.

T'Pol put her hands on her hips, "The bond protected you from the effect of the Orion pheromones because Vulcans are not sensitive to those, but that was because I was present and subjected to the same influences. The bond would have been of little protection if you had encountered the Orions alone." She reinforced her statement by sending an image through the bond, of a naked Vulcan female, not her but somewhat with about the same body type. The response from Trip was instantaneous.

They both looked down at it. Then T'Pol looked at him smugly, "See, the issue is not the bond, but the stimuli."

"Oh, great," he groaned in turn, not a reaction she was expecting. She raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"They've got us under constant surveillance. They're going to know..." He didn't finish.

"But your life will be protected," she pointed out. Sometimes the logic of her bondmate eluded her.

"And what d'you think they'll do with that knowledge? How're d'you think you're going to feel when it happens?" He crossed his arms in turn, looking at her as if she was missing an essential part of the puzzle.

"When what happens? Vulcans don't have feel..." she started in succession, her voice trailing as she suddenly saw through the bond the image of Trip engaged in producing genetic material for the Aneukarians. Another upswell of rage ran through her. She did not understand masturbation in Humans, she simply knew it existed, their need to mate was not as savagely biological as it was for Vulcans.

But Vulcan biology demanded access be exclusive, it was a matter of life and death. Hard-coded biological imperatives made it as if the Aneukarian interference was threatening her own survival. Getting to Aneukaria took on a greater urgency. "Do you know where you are located on Aneukaria?" she asked.

Trip shook his head, "We've been trying to figure it out, we have no idea where they're holding us, but we think it's close to the center of government." He smirked, "we're such precious commodity, you know."

T'Pol couldn't keep both eyebrows from lifting at the thoug ht, but she didn't let that distract her. "How much protection—"

She didn't finish the thought, she was back in her quarters. Since there had been no disturbance on her side, it meant Trip had been jarred out of his meditative state.

She put on her uniform back on. The need to find the center of government took precedence over anything else.

She would join the science teams, sift through the information they were gathering on Aneukaria, help them find densely populated areas, see if they could infer which was the center of government. Phlox would understand.

xxx

** ACT VI  **

**_Enterprise - 2200_ **

Phlox sighed as he stepped onto the bridge. He had expected there would be a few stragglers, not the full complement from Weapons and Science. Not to mention the main culprit.

He hardly spared a glance her way as he proceeded to herd everyone off. "This is your friendly doctor. It's the end of the second shift, everyone, off the bridge now! You're all on enforced rest until 0800 tomorrow, Captain's order!" When the last one had stepped off the bridge, he finally turned to her, "I thought you were going to rest?!" His tone was halfway being curious and furious.

T'Pol stood up from where she had been leaning over the science console, noting the soreness of the muscles in her back. That was highly unusual. She chalked it as another fatigue-related exception, pushed the pain out of her mind. "I have meditated, doctor," she deflected, trusting the doctor would not know to enquire about the length or quality of her meditation. The deceit was logical, the needs of the many outweighed the needs of the few, or the one.

"Well, I suggest you do more of it." Phlox eyed her with the air of someone who'd heard fibs of that kind before.

She pointedly ignored his suggestion, calling his attention to the image on the screen. "We have identified several areas of heightened population density on the planet's surface."

Phlox couldn't help but turn to look at the main screen, where Aneukaria was little more than a large dot, with close-up views checkered all around it. "You think that's where the men are?"

"Trip —" T'Pol cut herself off, appalled that fatigue had allowed her to slip on such a private matter. "I believe the men are held close to the centers of power, yes. Those are usually highly populated."

Phlox eyed her narrowly, putting two and two together. "How the Aneukarians treating them? Are they hurting them?"

T'Pol turned to look straight through him, "We will get to Aneukaria before they can." Phlox instinctively glanced around for anything that could be used in self-defense. T'Pol took a breath in, mentally reining in the blood anger that arose every time she thought of the Aneukarians' interferience in her relationship with Trip.

Phlox stood wondering what had just happened. It felt as if shutters had forcefully closed and the feeling of imminent danger disappeared. T'Pol was looking away from him.

It suddenly dawned on him. She had almost no control over her shields. "You— need— to— rest," he articulated slowly and clearly.

"I will rest," she conceded.

On the other hand, he might prefer an angry Vulcan to lead them into a hostile situation. "And how do you propose to get the men? Knock on the door, say excuse me, and leave with the lot of them?" he changed the topic.

"The Aneukarians have not shown themselves to be a hostile species. Their past behavior leads me to believe they will be willing to establish contact."

"Their past behavior would indicate they will do more than establish contact," Phlox countered. "Let's not forget they abducted sixty-two crew members. Once they spot Enterprise approaching they'll have plenty of time to prepare an attack," he was admonishing, but he was not looking at her unkindly.

"There won't be time. We will rush them, doctor."

"Rush them?"

"It is an expression from an ancient Terran game, American football. "

"American football, hmm?" Phlox had no idea what that was but he looked at the screen appraisingly.

T'Pol cocked an eyebrow at him, "We will proceed at quarter impulse while the science teams complete their recognizance of the planet. At the point where Enterprise becomes visible to them, we will go to warp." She waited a half-beat. "And come out of it at the apex of their atmosphere."

Phlox could have strangled himself with shock. "That's an incredibly dangerous maneuver!" And they didn't even have Travis to finesse the orbit.

"It is achievable. And the Aneukarians will have limited time to react. They will be willing to establish contact."

She didn't need say more. The Aneukarians would find that the center of their government was in the direct line of fire of a Federation starship. Phlox stood staring a the screen, rocking lightly back and forth on his heels. "Most people would swoop in, bomb a couple of places, and leave with the men," he commented, his tone underlining that this was the customary approach.

T'Pol turned to him with a long-suffering glance, "Even if we were to know exactly where the men are located, we do not have the capacity to extract them all at once," she rose and walked to the turbolift, Phlox walking in tandem with her, "we could end in a hostage situation. Your point, doctor?"

He realized she had maneuvered him right to the turbolift door, and there was no much he could do but step in. "Sometimes talking is the optimal solution," she added, which he understood to be a peace offering, coming from a Vulcan.

"The Humans have a saying, speak softly and carry a big stick'," he agreed.

A raised eyebrow greeted him, "Another Terran sport?"

"American baseball, I presume." He stepped into the elevator, "And remember to rest."

"Shortly, doctor, shortly." T'Pol was already on her way back to the science console.

Phlox caught a glance of her just as the doors were closing on his view of the bridge, noting the unusual tension in her shoulders, as if the weight of command and lack of sleep were starting to physically push down on her.

xxx

**_Aneukaria_ **

"You okay?"

Trip would have liked to chuckle in response but it's hard to chuckle when some taller alien backhanded you across the face a split second before you remembered that same aliens could lift fifty pounds with one hand. The strength of the blow sent you straight to the floor and straight to dreamland.

And then you wake up in some new cell, trying to figure out if your face is still attached to your head because all you can feel is a lot of numbness. Malcolm is there with you, telling you the details of what happened, except that you can't really hear him above the ringing in your head. But since he isn't freaking out at your sight, you take that as a good sign that your face is still where its supposed to be, attached to your head attached to your body, even if your brain is saying that ain't so because you can't feel anything there.

You want to ask Malcolm but "Hmmph..." is all you can say, as if you just blew him off except you didn't. You can't really articulate anything when your lips are the size of watermelons. You check to make sure they're still attached to your face still attached to your head still attached to your body.

Malcolm finally catches on to what you're doing. "Oh, don't worry about it. The swelling will go down in a couple of days. I've seen worse, though I'd to say you're pretty much right up there. You should've seen that guy on my patrol who crossed a couple of Klingons in a bar."

'Shut up, Mal, just shut up,' you think, because you really don't want to be up there with the guy whose face was smashed by the Klingons.

But since you can't speak there's not much you can do and you just sit there with your ringing head while Malcolm tells you how after the Aneukarian hit you he jumped her, 'cause they can still be 'her' even if they've only got the one sex, right?, and she back-handed him too, except she held back and he looks normally banged up. But then all the men who were around joined the fray and it turned into a general brawl, Humans against Aneukarians, the men giving free rein to their frustrations, aliens running all around trying to stop them without hurting them. In a way, it's been a good test of the Aneukarian response system and potential vulnerabilities, a successful ending from Malcolm's perspective.

In the end, the one who hit you got in trouble for it, not that it does much to the throbbing in your ear. Now everyone's locked up in their cell, except for you and Malcolm, you've been thrown into this uncomfortable holding pen. Question is whether they'll let you out, and you may not really want to be let out anyway. Though trust Jonathan to be such a pain in the Aneukarians' side that they will let you out eventually. Between a rock and a hard place, that's where you'll be when they do.

"Hopefully they forget about us for a while," Malcolm is echoing your thoughts, "at least you're protected because you're married to a Vulcan, you have no choice. She'll kill you if you do anything."

You'd snort if you were sure your face was still attached to your head. But first it would be too painful and second you don't want to risk anything getting detached.

If Malcolm only knew. You know that she's on her way but you can't tell the others, they'd start asking how you know, and then they'll get all weirded out and think that's somehow she's spying on them through your head. Hell, you'd probably have the same thoughts if someone'd told you about it beforehand. But the bond just forced itself between the two of you willy-nilly, as if it were meant to be. One-night hook-up, and bang, you're married. What are the chances?

Like winning the lottery. Your alter ego is grinning like the cat who got the canary. Cause you certainly can't grin with your face numb as it is. Nobody quite understands what a bond is like. You've got to be in one to fully appreciate it. So all you can say, if you could actually talk, is that she must be on her way.

And now you hope she gets here real fast because the next time an Aneukarian tries to get her hands on you you'll react the same way, and you're not sure your face can take it.

xxx

**_Enterprise - 0550_ **

Phlox erupted out of the elevators ready to go to town on a specific member of the crew. And stopped dead in his tracks, blinking. Did he hallucinate getting the Weapons and Science teams off the bridge? Because they were all right there, fully staffed, creating a harmonious organized chaos as orders fused from side to side.

"Magnify to ε-power 10x5, Ensign, start scanning by 5 degrees from 15 latitude, 95 longitude. Identify any array with a high-filed strength higher than 1.5TTV."—

"Ygout, what's the matter with left aft canon? The aim is two degrees off where it should be?!"—

"Captain, I spotted a band of higher density zone right around the midway, mass of land, difficult to ascertain what's around but it could be water!"—

"Corporal! Armory indicates they're low on diethylkine spools!"

"Tell them to replicate!"—

Phlox shook his head, acknowledging defeat. The time was 0553, it was quite clear that his exhortations for rest and sleep had fallen on deaf ears, pointed or not. He approached the captain's chair.

"Is it 0800 yet?" he asked pointedly. And added, "Hmm?"

T'Pol threw him a sideways glance, went back to consulting the padd a junior scientist was holding for her review, "I had one point eight hours of uninterrupted sleep," she replied.

'Hardy har har', he thought. And chose not to make an issue of it. "We're still rushing them?" he asked instead.

Her retort was cut off by someone calling from the side, "Captain!"

"What is it, Ensign Vik?"

"The planet, there are not enough life signs!"

"Please expound."

"Variations in the spectrum algorithm. The populated zones are not uniformly reflective, there's up to a 70% variance within the zones themselves!"

That got a raised eyebrow. T'Pol handed the padd back to the junior, got up and approached the screen. Phlox fell in step right behind her, not that there was much else for him to do. She was blinking, considering the whole of the information, the close-ups had become much more detailed since the night before.

Phlox thought it was an opportune moment to enquire, "What does that mean?"

T'Pol turned to him. "It means for one, doctor, we may not encounter the level of resistance we have been preparing for." She paused. "There is a higher-than-expected proportion of empty structures. The buildings are there, but the inhabitants are not."

It was his turn to look at the screen, "As if there had been a massive depopulation," he mused. "That does fit with the DNA deterioration we've observed."

"Indeed." She went back to the Captain's chair.

xxx

**_Enterprise - 1415_ **

"We're close enough they might see us, Captain!" Specialist Gordon called out from the sensor array. It was simple enough: if she could see them, they could see her.

"Any sign of a defense perimeter, Specialist?"

Nancy shook her head. "We're still too far to tell. Nothing shows but their defense mechanisms may only become active upon a trigger."

T'Pol nodded. That was the correct inference.

She got up and went to the helm, quickly keying in their position vectors. She turned to the com on the console, "Engineering, are you ready to proceed?"

"Waiting for your order, Captain." Hess's voice rang loud over the bridge.

T'Pol nodded, looked up the proposed course, laid it in the helm. "Lieutenant Hess, shut off all engines."

"Shutting engines off!"

T'Pol was staring at the relative field indicator. Everyone on the bridge stopped what they were doing, watching. The trick in a warp-stealth approach was to come out of warp at exactly the right speed. If she waited until Enterprise had lost all momentum, the additional energy to recreate the warp field would land them inside the atmosphere on arrival, to crash and burn quikly. The same as if she went to warp too soon, before the ship had slowed down enough. The warp order had to be given exactly as the ship reached the nadir of its deceleration, but before it got there, and factor in Human reaction time between her order and Hess re-starting the engines.

The seconds flew by on the screen and still nobody moved.

"Hess, warp three!" The motion was so swift, most saw it only after they heard her.

"Warp Three!" Hess responded inside of a second.

T'Pol braced herself against the helm, even if she knew it would make no difference to the ship direction, her ability to react freely could mean the difference between catching the right orbit or coming too close to the planet. Or too far from it. Too far meant triggering the defense system. If the Aneukarians had space travel capabilities, they had a defense perimeter.

She kept a close watch on the course showing on the console. They had one point nine eight three seven five minutes before they reached Aneukaria. They would need to get out of warp on the cusp of the geostationary orbit, with an acceptable deviation of one thousand meters on either side. She leaned over the com, her hand hovering, watching the numbers on the display.

"Now!" she called, loudly enough to make everyone jump.

"Got it!" Hess reacted right away. T'Pol looked up, listening. The hum of the engines had stopped.

'Nine hundred seventy-six meters off orbit,' the computer mechanically informed. Hoshi snuck a sidelong glance her way. Travis would have been in the dumps for days if he got that far off the mark, would offer to give up his pilot license. But as far as they were concerned, this was a brilliant a piece of piloting. Close enough was close enough.

T'Pol was bending over the console, squeezing the last remaining pre-warp speed. "Geostationary orbit achieved," she finally announced. There was a collective sigh of relief on the bridge. She got up, raising an eyebrow at Hoshi. Who ever said Vulcans had no sense of humor?

She went back the Captain's chair, checking their position, blinking at the image of Aneukaria, massive on the screen.

"Human readings, Captain!" Ensign Gordon exclaimed.

"Send the coordinates to the weapons console. Specialist Cole, proceed as planned. Wide dispersion."

Amanda Cole leaned over and quickly entered the command. They watched on the main screen as the ordnance reached the planet in a wide arc, exploding in ominous red and black clouds as they fell. The Aneukarians couldn't know it was all optics, the mix of chemicals in the shells specially calibrated for show, giving an appearance of utmost power. "Knock, knock, who's there?" Amanda's voice floated over the bridge, drawing tension-relieving chuckles.

T'Pol looked at Phlox, who looked back in shared confusion. Obviously it was a Human thing. She shrugged it off. "Ensign Sato, open a channel to Aneukaria government. Tell them we want our men back."

xxx

**_Aneukaria_ **

X-Eliantix was hurrying through the hallways of the palacium imperium, summoned by the planetary preeminence. She didn't know what was happening, had seen the clouds of destruction high up in the sky, realized they were under attack. She was on her way to her unit when she'd gotten the call from the palacium. She couldn't ignore it, her ship would have to wait. At least there had been no more attacks since the initial display of firepower. There were not enough of them anymore, they didn't have the manpower to fight back.

"X-Irtanimox!" X-Eliantix saluted then stood at attention, arms firmly held along her side.

The wizened planetary preeminence eyed her with deepset grey and wrinkled eyes. "X-Eliantix. You've had dealings with this ship before, I am to understand."

X-Eliantix took a step closer to the vidscreen, watching in disbelief as she recognized the nacelle and engines of Enterprise. "This is the ship where we got the Human species from, X-Irtanimox. But we freed them, they shouldn't be here! How did they find us?"

"How they found us is of little concern. They are asking for the men back. You need talk them out of it."

X-Eliantix nodded, thinking back to what Captain Archer had said. Perhaps he was not lying. Perhaps they were not a different species. But they couldn't let the men go back. Only a quarter of the population remained. If they waited too long, it would be too late to hope and reverse the trend. The entire Aneukarian civilization would disappear.

The communication from the ship was coming through on a frequency that cut through the walls and echoed in the planetary preeminence's great room. "You abducted the men on Enterprise and we demand that you return them unharmed. Our weapons are aimed at you. We will fire a the slightest threat."

xxx 

** _ACT VII_ **

** _Aneukaria_ **

X-Eliantix opens the channel and finds herself staring at the alien with the pointed ears. Around her are a lot of those like the Aneukarians. "Why are you here? We freed you from the others...," she stops nervously.

"Our ship's doctor thinks perhaps you have extrapolated that women are the main species on Earth and that men are an invasive species, or a parasite?" the alien asks.

X-Eliantix blinks vigorously. The alien is using the same words as Captain Archer, 'men' and 'women'. Perhaps he didn't lie after all.

"Men are not a different species," the one with the pointed ears goes on, "there is only one species, Humans. Men and women are its two genders. You did not free the Human women, you took their companions and friends."

Amanda sneaks a glance at her captain. Now, that's as poetic a statement as she'd ever expect from a Vulcan. And then she remembers that the Vulcan has skin in the game, that one of the Human men is her own companion. She wants to shake her head. Who'd ever thought. She's actually sorry she tried to put the moves on Trip. She disregarded the obvious relationship he had with T'Pol because she saw her as just an alien. In retrospect, that was not her proudest moment.

"But your ship's databases very clearly indicate that the ones not like us are bigger and stronger. And that they subjugate the ones like us," X-Eliantix is blinking, trying to understand.

T'Pol's eyebrow lifts at how to explain sexual dimorphism to a people who don't even have the concept of sexes. She shall start at the beginning. "Men are not parasitic or invasive, they are necessary to the survival of the Human race. Men and women come together to procreate."

X-Eliantix doesn't know what to say. How can it be that two entities are needed for procreation? Don't the ones who look like them have a reservoir of genetic material? She realizes that some form of communication is necessary. "Don't you have a reservoir of genetic material?"

There is a pause as the alien tries to decipher what she is saying. X-Eliantix wants to help, "Every Aneukarian carries a reservoir of genetic material. When we reproduce, one of our ovule splits in two and is recombined randomly with the reserve material to create a new individual."

"Human biology is different," the alien finally explains, "men and women each carry their own genetic material." She looks up and away from the screen, focuses back on X-Eliantix. "I will ask our ship's doctor to join us, his involvement is necessary."

xxx

** _Enterprise_ **

T'Pol sees Specialist Gordon trying to catch her attention, uses the pretext of calling on Dr. Phlox. She looks over at Gordon. The scientist is gesticulating wildly, the excited motion letting her know they have the exact coordinates and there is no interference. Ensign Sato is looking at her, waiting. She nods once as she places the call to Dr. Phlox. Sato gives the thumbs up sign, looks at Gordon who returns the thumbs up sign, then turns to speak in her headphones.

Phlox is rubbing his hands together with the excitement of this new development. "I thought that's what it might be," he tells X-Eliantix, "I was wondering where you'd get the DNA for the recombination. The obvious answer was you carry it with you! Do you know about the origins of the reservoirs?"

X-Eliantix is flustered, "There's never been a question, the reservoirs have always been there." She looks at X-Irtanimox in confusion. The preeminence is the longest lived among all of them, perhaps she knows.

"There are creation stories about others who were not like us at the beginning of times. Who sacrificed themselves so that those like us could live." The elderly statesman remarks. She makes clear her own view, "These are mythical stories. Poppycock!"

Phlox throws a meaningful look at Hoshi. Who exactly came up with the Standard for the Universal Translator? She doesn't see him, bent over her earphones. Then she pus a hand behind her chair, all fingers splayed.

T'Pol's expression remains the same. Phlox can only envy her poker face. He's already busy replying, keeping the preeminence occupied. More and more Aneukarians are entering the room where she and X-Eliantix are. That's good. They need everyone to stay focused on the conversation.

xxx

** _Aneukaria_ **

More and more people are streaming into the room, dignitaries and palacium habituals. They assemble in small groups, trying to quickly develop options that the alien ship can accept. The alien ship needs to leave without the men. Next to the screen dominating the room, X-Irtanimox and X-Eliantix are busy trying to sway the alien.

X-Eliantix relates what she told Captain Archer about the comet and the radiation. They cannot fix the DNA in the reservoirs, too brittle and too ancient. Their year-long search led them to Enterprise and to those who do not look like them, and appeared to be an aggressive and parasitic life form.

"Men are not an aggressive or overbearing parasitic life form," the alien with the pointed ears counters, "they are one of two Human genders. Vulcan also has male and female genders, and so does Denobula, where the doctor is from. If you travel through the galaxy, you may find that most civilizations have differentiated genders."

"Actually," the doctor points out, "I suspect the Aneukarians were also two differentiated genders but that at some point in your early history the male form was absorbed into the female form of the species."

The Aneukarians present in the room look up in shocked dismay. "Those who are like us are the only Aneukarians! There are no others!" one of the dignitaries bellows. She is very close to the preeminence, a long-time and intimate friend of X-Irtanimox. What that alien doctor is saying is heresy! Unacceptable!

xxx

** _Enterprise_ **

Phlox is taken aback by the vehemence of the Aneukarian. The truth is not reprehensible. A scientist would understand.

Hoshi is holding her hand behind her back again, all fingers splayed. This is the third time she's done that. It is going slowly. And it is going as fast as can be expected. It takes time to clear the transporter cache, wait for it to cycle back and be ready for another group of five.

In the transporter room, Travis stays frozen in place for a couple of seconds after the transporter stops beaming him up. There's always a stomach-churning moment when one feels about to fall off a cliff. But there's no cliff. He looks around at the transporter room, at the other men who were beamed with him, at the women handling the transporter. All he wants to do is hug them and slap them on the shoulders, run around and scream his joy. He quickly steps off the transporter pads, ready to take Beausang in a bear hug but she's shaking her head.

"You need to get cleared by Sickbay and get to your station. Captain's orders." She says that to pretty much every man who gets beamed back on board. "We need you!" she adds. He turns on his heels and hightails it to Sickbay with the other men. To get back into a proper uniform and back at work. The cat's meow.

On the bridge, T'Pol is counting the seconds. They can transport five men up every hundred and sixty seconds. There are now twenty men on Enterprise, forty-two on Aneukaria. It will take twenty-one minutes before all the men are aboard. If the Aneukarians don't detect anything. The odds that nobody will check on the prisoners while the talks are going on are decreasing as time goes by. They are now at thirty-five percent and falling.

She leans towards the screen. The other prong of the plan is to lead successful negotiations, convince the Aneukarians to release the men of their own free will, explain to them how the Federation will help. How Aneukarian civilization will survive. Their survival itself depends on it.

xxx

** _Aneukaria_ **

"The aliens! The aliens!" The guard is running through the palacium as fast as she can. She erupts into the great room. "They've taken the aliens!" She yells as she falls to her knees, out of breath.

There is a gasp in the crowd. Everyone turns to the messenger, "They've... taken... half... the... men...," the guard gasps, out of breath. Fortunately, the aliens were in the palacium holding center, connected to through a network of corridors. She was able to alert the preeminence in time.

On the screen, the eyebrows of the alien with the pointed ears ascend to the sky. There is a look of consternation on the face of the other women.

"What is this?!" X-Irtanimox bellows at the screen. She knows about treachery, one doesn't become the longest living of her kind without the wiles to survive.

The alien woman blinks, remains silent.

X-Irtanimox turns to the room, "Bring them here!" She stands tall as an avenging angel. She would smite the aliens here and now except that her world desperately needs them.

She turns to the screen, "I will kill them all if any more disappear!"

The alien with the pointed ears still doesn't answer, but she gets up form her chair.

xxx

** _Enterprise_ **

She sees the messenger running in the great room. If she were Human, she'd wish she's rushing to tell X-Irtanimox about another pressing matter on another part of Aneukaria. But she is not Human and there is no wishing, just waiting for what must happen.

Which does happen. The preeminence is not pleased.

T'Pol gets up from the captain's chair, walks closer to the screen, where what she will say might be taken as a confidence or as a threat. "There are hundreds of ships like Enterprise in the Federation. There is a Surak class ship two weeks away with a crew of one hundred and eighty-three Vulcan scientists who could help identify the best genetic match for Aneukarians across all the Federation worlds. There is a Federation Starship five days away with enough destructive power to render your hopes of restarting Aneukarian civilization an unachievable dream. Which one comes depends on your actions now. We are here to try and negotiate a peaceful solution. "

Time has frozen on the bridge. Nobody dares move, they hardly dare breathe, they've never seen a Vulcan threated before.

There is a first time for everything.

Hoshi finally lets out a breath as the Vulcan walks back to the captain's chair. She knows they sent a communication to Starfleet, let them know what happened, but she hasn't seen anything back, from Starfleet or a Vulcan starship. It slowly dawns on her that perhaps T'Pol was bluffing. If she was, hats off. She'll try and rope her into the next poker game.

xxx

** _Aneukaria_ **

X-Irtanimox recognizes they're at a stalemate. Thankfully the alien men are being herded into the great room, relieving her of the need to respond. She doesn't know how she would respond.

She looks over the great room, dignitaries and delegates crowded all around, the twenty or so aliens in the middle, their captain looking like he would gladly take on the whole of them. A circle of armed guards is keeping them contained. Too many people around will interfere with the guards' attention, they're just so many potential casualties.

"Everyone who is not part of the irivemced leave the room," she orders. She turns to X-Eliantix, "Not you."

X-Irtanimox glares at the Human men. She wishes she could get rid of them now, teach the other alien that one does not cheat X-Irtanimox with impunity. But she is the leader of her world and she cannot sacrifice its future to her ego, no mater how tempting. "Your ship has come back. You will talk to their captain and tell them to leave," she tells the Human captain.

Archer refrains from showing any irritation, even though his first instinct if to tell them he is the captain. This is not the time to let his ego drive the discussion. "I know the captain's type," he says instead, "extremely stubborn people. I can try to talk to her but I doubt she'll listen." He puts on his best Archer face, "Instead, why don't you let us go and we can bring back more resources, people who will actually help you figure out the best approach to your issue. There are plenty of people around the Federation who'll want to help, once they understand." Actually, if the Aneukarians had asked the right way, there'd be plenty of folks on Enterprise willing to help. But what they will willingly give, they don't want taken from them.

"You will talk to her and tell her to leave." X-Irtanimox turns towards the screen but doesn't move. She'll wait to re-open the channel. Let the aliens wonder, keep them on their toes.

xxx

** _Enterprise_ **

X-Irtanimox has cut off the communication. That is to be expected. The Aneukarian premier will decide when and where she will be in touch again. They have a stalemate on their hands.

Thirty-five. They managed to recover thirty-five men. And yet the bond is silent, Trip is not among them. She pushes the thought aside. There are twenty-seven men left on Aneukaria.

Travis comes in to man the helm. Travis comes in to man the helm. The transporter's pick is blind, it doesn't know who's who. Only Human biosigns. It is pure luck that they got the helmsman on the third try. Other released men find their way to the bridge. There is no need for them to remain hidden anymore. They salute her as they take their station. She acknowledges each with the slightest nod, she understands the emotional need to do so even though there is no Starfleet regulation requiring it. And Vulcans don't salute.

She looks around the bridge. "Everyone in the command center now! Akhoun, you have the bridge." It's a huge responsibility for a junior scientist but the Aneukarians will not negotiate with anyone other than her, there is no reason to leave a seasoned crew member behind. The men on the bridge look up, obviously wondering if she's included them. "Everyone!" she repeats. It would be illogical to deprive herself of the counsel of those who've been on the planet. They should know that.

The mood in the command center is tense. She's succintly lays out the situation. The use of force presents its own set of problems, how to use it without destroying the men. Stealth is going to be difficult when they're held in the same room as the Aneukarian leader.

Based on what the men have shared, the chances that the Aneukaristhey will be voluntarily returned are in the range of zero to one percent. Unless they can provide another source of fresh DNA. T'Pol raises the possibility of a leaving volunteers behind, men and women, until the Federation sends a rescue ship, or even for herself to stay behind as a guaranty of return.

Many among the crew point out all the ways these options can fail. Cole is getting frustrated with the possibility of peaceful negotiations. She is more of the knock heads and take names persuasion. "What we need to do is jump on their leader and put a gun to her head, tell her to let the men go or else. Did you see how they worship her? They'll give us all the men they have to make sure she's safe!"

It would be easy to discount her as being a hothead, except that the approach does have its merits. A few beats of silence float over the room.

"Computer, show us a close-up of the great room."

Soon the entire bridge complement is examining the palacium and the great room from a number of different angles.

"See that small rectangle of space in the shade!" Cole calls out, "Bet you that's a landing pad." They all look closer, agree with her assessment. Of course the dignitaries would have access to their private landing space. "If there's a landing pad, there's a door somewhere," Cole continues, "direct access."

This will make things easier. Go in one side, come out the other. The group debates possible approaches, by land or by air, how to avoid being detected. The security team provides several alternatives, all of which are unrealistic. Finally, Cole hangs up her head, "We can't get in without being discovered."

"We will gain access to the great room," T'Pol cuts in. Everyone looks up at her, wondering what they haven't thought about. "We will be invited in." Captain Archer would have said 'We will talk our way in.' "We will elaborate a plan," she adds in the shocked slap-hand-on-forehead silence that follows.

And that is what they do, T'Pol goes over her plan, Cole and Ygout supplying intelligence on logistics and timing, Ortiz on personnel, the men on Aneukarian psychological make-up. The men will not participate in the action. They have not received post-detention psychological clearance and therefore cannot take part in tactical operations against their captors. That is the logical explanation T'Pol provides.

The illogical reason being that they just got them back and nobody on the ship wants to risk losing them again.

======================================

Notes:

I am not above having cheap fun at my characters' expense. As we know, 'speak softly and carry a big stick' has nothing to do with baseball. It was coined by Roosevelt as a a proverbial saying advising the tactic of caution and non-aggression, backed up by the ability to carry out violent action if required. I thought it was appropriate for this scene.

======================================

** _ACT VIII_ **

** _Aneukaria_ **

X-Irtanimox is pleased. It's taken a long time but they've finally reached an agreement. The aliens will leave ten men and ten women behind on Aneukaria until Federation ships come with more scientists and DNA to save her world.

The Human captain is seething, this is obviously not what he would have done, but he has no say in the matter. He is here on Aneukaria and the alien with the pointed ears is on the ship. She gets to decide.

Of course, X-Irtanimox has no intention of letting anyone leave. She will keep the ten who are like them and the thirty-five who are men. Aneukarian forces are ready to prevent anyone from leaving. They cannot take a chance the Federation ships won't show up. And they cannot wait. If Federation ships show up, they'll have a headstart. If they don't, they'll have something at least.

"Don't worry, we'll treat your crew well," she says to the Human captain. There is no need for him to know she plans to deceive the alien with the pointed ears and keep everyone, he might find a way to tell her.

They will send the one with the pointed ears back to tell the others to leave Aneukaria. They cannot use her DNA anyway. And they don't want to jeopardize the Human ship. This will help convince the Federation ships that they were not trying to hurt anyone. In case they come.

xxx

** _Enterprise_ **

"Cole, Ygout, with me!" T'Pol calls as she leaves the bridge. "Hoshi, you have the con."

Hoshi pointedly swivels in her seat and stares at her. She called her Hoshi. That's never happened during a shift before.

"Good luck, Captain!" Travis calls from the helm. He's ready for action. They've gone over the plan again and again until all that's left are for alien ships to materialize in the sky below. He checks the controls, satisfied once again at how the ship purrs under his hands.

Perhaps he wasn't the one taking care of her for the past month but they did a good job. He turns around and nods at the juniors manning the weapons, "Ready, guys?"

They nod back. Ready? They've been ready for this for weeks now.

The away team is waiting for T'Pol in the shuttle bay. Cole, Ygout, Willcox, and another seven, everyone woman from security and the larger and stronger of the female crew. There were more volunteers than they had room for. They all have gone over the sequence of events, know exactly at what point they will be called into action.

Phlox is there, too. He hands the devices to T'Pol, one of the security personnel helps set them up, "Now, remember, it's not a sealed environment like a starship. The effects won't be as potent and they won't last as long." He looks over at the team, "Everyone has their filters?" They all nod back. They've already inserted them, Captain's orders. Vulcans don't take chances with details.

T'Pol positions herself a few feet from the group. She will once again go over tactics, logistics, timing, what is expected from each one of them. It will be a high-wire act.

xxx

** _Operation Aneukaria_ **

The first shuttle inscribes an aesthetically pleasing curve in the sky, courtesy of its pilot. Vulcans like to draw complex ciphers in the air. The shuttle lands on the roof of the palacium, close to the great room. A second shuttle follows closely behind, Willcox at the helm. The shuttle touches down.

Operation Anakeuria has started.

T'Pol comes out of the first shuttle, Cole and Ygout behind her, rifles drawn, Nagamura following behind. The lithe woman doesn't seem to present much of a threat. There is nothing to indicate she was the Starfleet Academy aikido champion three years in a row. Six women stream out of the second shuttle.

They stop fifty feet away and two Aneukarian guards exit the great room through large bay doors. They are armed and helmeted, X-Eliantix between them. The two groups walk towards each other until there's only a couple of meters left. Both sets of guards stop.

T'Pol and X-Eliantix keep walking, until they're under the other side's guard. Nagamura has stayed with T'Pol. Cole and Ygout do not move, keeping X-Eliantix between them and the other six women behind them.

The two Aneukarian guards turn on their heels and escort T'Pol and Nagamuta to the great room. They disappear inside.

xxx

** _Five minutes and five seconds; Commandos_ **

T'Pol and Nagamura step into the great room, the Aneukarian guards at the door checking them for weapons. But there's no weapons to be seen, simply a Vulcan officer with the decorative rosaces of her rank. The large bay doors close behind them.

T'Pol nods to herself. That is as planned. The bond resonates with Trip's presence. She checks that the group of twenty-seven men is in the room, hiding her displeasure at the cordon of guards with their rifles pointed at them, showing no reaction when she spots the yellow hair in the middle. He's seen her as well and is carefully blocking his emotions.

Archer is not quite as preoccupied with hiding his feelings, and he shouts above the noises in the room, "Go back to Enterprise! Leave us here! You shouldn't have come!" One of the Aneukarian guards pushes him, sending him reeling into the other men and cutting off any further exhortation.

The women keep walking to the other side of the room, where the preeminence is waiting in front of a large dark screen. "It is good that we were able to reach an agreement," X-Irtanomix welcomes them in a pleasant voice though her eyes are anything but pleasant. The alien in front of her tricked her and she would exact instant revenge if it were not for the fact that ten additional Humans are about to become Aneukaria permanent guests. And the fate of her world is more important than any ego wound.

T'Pol notes the animosity. The agreement was purely meant as a mechanism to provide access to the great room. It would be illogical to have qualms about the deception. She opens her hand for the ta'al, triggering the release mechanism, and the rosaces on her uniform start spewing an odorless and colorless gas.

Less than ten seconds later, the guards around her falter, falling to their knees. X-Irtanomix is about ready to call for help but she stumbles instead, and then falls. The Aneukarians in the room rush to her. They do not notice the rosaces have turned into spheres that rise to the ceiling, still emitting gas. T'Pol and Nagamura step out of the way while the Aneukarians keel over one by one.

It has been less than a minute and everyone is asleep in the great room, including the men. The women are careful to keep breathing through their noses, where the gas cannot reach past the filters.

Part B of Operation Aneukaria is starting. Nagamura runs to push the bay doors ajar, careful to remain hidden from the outside. It's been seven minutes and thirty seconds.

xxx

** _Seven minutes and thirty-seven seconds; Commandos_ **

Cole and Ygout watch the doors open. They look at each other, then Ygout pulls her rifle and stuns X-Eliantix. That is the signal. The women run to the great room. There is only so much time before the Aneukarians observers react.

They rush directly to the inanimate men, injecting hypos, trying to locate the senior officers. They find the Captain and Lieutenant Reed and quickly affix homing beacons. Somehow T'Pol is already at Trip's side, turning him over to put a beacon on his chest. She sees his swollen face. Fatigue-weakened controls almost allow her primal rage to erupt, she would fire her phaser at the sleeping Aneukarians. Logical shields reassert themselves, push the anger back and allow the cooler head to prevail. Trip groans, shaking his head from side to side. She puts a hand on his forehead, imparting 'T'hyla'. His eyes spring wide open and he looks at her lovingly.

The other men wake up according to their constitution. Some are already alert, others are still groggy. The women split off to guard the doors leading to the roof and those leading further into to the palacium, Cole with one team and Ygout with the other. Archer gets up, fighting the fog. He looks at T'Pol in interrogation. "Hoshi will explain," she calls out to him just as the beacons start scintillating and the three senior officers disappear along with two other men.

It's been eight minutes and twenty-five seconds.

xxx

** _Eight minutes and twenty-five seconds; Aneukarians_ **

General X-Crafonaox has watched in stupefaction as the Humans fired on X-Eliantix and ran into the great room. That is not how it was supposed to go. She reacts right away, "Defense teams, proceed!"

It seems to take interminable seconds for the teams to spring to action and yet it takes only twenty-five seconds for the ground squadrons to get in position, two on the roof, ready to shoot, two running down the corridor to the great room. It will take another forty-six seconds for the first half-dozen heavily-armed skiffs to lift off from their base, three minutes for them to reach the palacium.

Both enemy shuttles lift off as the guards reach the roof, and fly off to a safe distance. The guards aim and fire, but the shuttles are already going up. That is fine. The Humans cannot leave and the attack ships will deal with the shuttle.

The ground teams reach the great room, find the doors sealed shut. The first ones to reach the doors fall to the ground, dizzy and dazed. X-Crafonaox gives the order to retreat to a safe distance. She would have given an assault order if the troops were younger. But there haven't been young conscripts in a long time. Instead they shoot at the doors from a distance, but these were made to resist assault. They need more firepower. She gives the order for another two squads to the great room, grenade launchers from the armory, explosive ordnance. No matter how, they will gain access.

It's been nine minutes and twenty-six seconds.

xxx

** _Nine minutes and twenty-six seconds; Enterprise_ **

"Movement on the ground!" Gordon called as soon as the sensors spotted the squadrons taking position on the roof of the palacium.

"Travis, get ready!" Hoshi calls, "Willcox, Olson, get the shuttles out of range!" The shuttles lift off just as the squadrons take position. They predicted the Aneukarians would have ground and air troops. Travis is already ready, his fingers on the controls. But he has to hold back until the transporter finishes beaming the men.

The bridge crew watches the action unfold on the main screen. There is gunfire close to the great room, Human and Vulcan biosigns inside. Hopefully it that the commandos were successful. Five lozenge-shaped dark spots suddenly appear west of the palacium. Travis carefully tracks the ships. They need to get going soon for an intercept. Where are the men!

In the transporter room, Archer, Reed, Trip and two others rematerialize. Phlox is there, waiting with a medscanner in hand. "As soon as I clear you for duty you can go." He quickly scans Archer, Malcolm. His eyes fall on Trip. "You need to go to Sickbay."

"Yepfff," Trip replies, the swelling has gone down, enough that he can say words.

Phlox turns to the other men, hears the doors swoosh shut. They're already running to the bridge, Beausang along to catch them up. He shakes his head. That also was expected.

On the bridge, Hoshi checks the time, beeps T'Pol, who answers her communicator, "The shuttles have left. We have enemy combatants on the roof. Air cover is on the way. Wait until the coast is clear."

Archer and Reed enter the bridge at a run as she signs off. "Captain!" Hoshi exclaims, her eyes locking onto Reed instead. Malcolm stops in his tracks or he would rush to her and hug her never to let go. Not in front of Archer. All they can do is stare at each other in shared understanding.

The Captain has other pressing issues on his mind. "Travis, proceed!", he barks. Far from him to interfere with whatever plan T'Pol concocted.

Part C of Operation Aneukaria is starting. It's been ten minutes and fifty seconds.

xxx

** _Ten minutes and fifty seconds; Enterprise_ **

Travis wants to yell "Geronimo!" as he thrusts Enterprise forward and down, straight into Aneukaria's atmosphere. It seems appropriate. The Aneukarians are going to learn the power of a starship. It takes less than a minute to get within striking distance.

"Enemy combatants at 12, 3, 6 and 9!" Malcolm calmly calls. Twin bolts erupt from under the starship's carriage, hitting the targets at 12 and 3. The laser canons rotate and fire again, neutralizing the ships at 6 and 9. There is only a single aircraft remaining and it abruptly turns around and hightails it back to its base.

Enterprise traces a large loop over the palacium, dropping charges on the roof. They explode into clouds of somniferous gas, obscuring all view of the roof, the accompanying sonic boom flattening anyone still standing.

The ship streaks back up to the stratosphere, its engines screaming their abuse. In Engineering, Trip nods at Hesse, adjusts the fuel ratio. She's in charge, he can't talk well enough to give orders. He's working his magic at the mixing station instead.

There are no squadrons remaining on the roof. The shuttles zip back over.

It's been eleven minutes and fifty-two seconds.

xxx

** _Eleven minutes and fifty-two seconds; Commandos_ **

T'Pol looks around when the echo of the sonic boom reverberates through the bay doors. The twenty-two men are ready, have been ready since Hoshi told them the shuttles were gone. Her communicator beeps again and she answers the hail.

"T'Pol!" Archer's voice surprises her. It's been a long time since she's heard her Captain. "The shuttles are on their way, get ready to board!"

She pushes the bay doors ajar just enough to check the goings on the roof. There is a gray fog all around. Shuttle Two suddenly appears in front of her. Willcox is keeping the shuttle a couple of feet off the ground. "Ygout! Get ready to take the first team out!" she yells.

It takes no time for the men to line up. The bay doors open wide and two commandos come out to form a protective cordon, infrared visors on, rifles cocked and ready, sweeping right and left for any movement. A stream of men runs behind them, jumping in the shuttle. It only seats six but twelve men manage to shove in, standing room only. Ygout jumps in last, squeezes into the copilot seat. Shuttle Two takes off. Shuttle one is already coming down to replace it.

It 's been fourteen minutes and forty-eight seconds.

xxx

** _Fourteen minutes and forty-eight seconds; Aneukarians_ **

X-Crafonaox is about to lose her mind. She has another two squadrons waiting for the gray fog to clear and get to the roof. She watches powerless as the attack vessels are taken out, the roof squadrons neutralized. At least the alien ship didn't kill them all.

She's running out of time. She watches in impotent rage as the bay doors open and those not like them stream out of the great room, jump into the alien vessel. Nothing she can do.

The fog is finally clearing. The squadrons are regrouping on the palacium roof.

She tells her aides to get the supplies directly to the troops trying to make their way into the great room. She'll be right behind.

It's been fifteen minutes and thirty-six seconds.

xxx

** _Fifteen minutes and thirty-six seconds; Commandos_ **

Shuttle One is now hovering next to the bay doors. There are ten men and nine women left in the great room. More than can fit in a shuttle. Before T'Pol can consider the question further, five crew members start shimmering away. That lets her know Enterprise is safety back in orbit. That leaves only five men and nine women. And one Vulcan. They can all fit in a shuttle but it will be a tight squeeze. Optimally, the transporter will cycle a third time but there may not be enough time for that to happen. The noise outside the great doors make it clear the Aneukarians are coming back for a second offensive.

"Stay in position!" she yells at the commandos. Nagamura replies with a thumbs up.

T'Pol rushes over to the other side, where Cole and her team are guarding the doors leading into the palacium. The commandos have set up a force-field that prevents enemy fire from coming through. "Cole! Take the second team out!" She hollers above the din of the fire hitting the doors. There is a lull. The Aneukarians must be preparing to change their tactics.

"Everyone, out! Stat!" Cole barks. She turns around and spots one of the Aneukarians starting to move, quickly stuns her. They need to act fast, the effects of the gas are dissipating.

They've already dissipated on the roof. Aneukarians are firing at the shuttle and at the bay door, forcing the two commandos back inside for protection. Cole pushes the door half-open, signals for the pilot to come nearer. She closes the gap, hovers without landing. It is a high-wire act. "We need cover!" she yells back at the women in the room. Fortunately only T'Pol and Nagamura didn't carry weapons. Soon a half-dozen commandos are pressing themselves around the door, firing through the opening, until they've established a two-time tempo. Coverage is now good enough. The men jump into the shuttle one after the other.

It's Cole's turn. She starts moving, realizes that T'Pol is not behind her. She stops. Where's the damn Vulcan? She sees her on the other side of the room, still keeping an eye on the doors. "Now!" Cole yells over to her.

T'Pol turns to move when the doors behind her blow up in a massive cloud of smoke and debris, the explosion propelling her clear across the floor. A cloud of white smoke fills the room. Cole had put her arm in front of her eyes in protection, squints through the dust and smoke, sees T'Pol moving feebly. She manages to roll on her belly and push her on her arms and legs, but it's obvous she's disoriented, possibly hurt.

Cole gauges the distance. It's crazy, she needs to leave her behind and get going, the men are safe, the captain gave precise orders about what to do if someone was left behind. The hell with it. She's not leaving without her captain.

She goes back inside, grabs T'Pol, forces her up and pushes her forward into a weird crab-like four-legged walk, the Vulcan is almost out of it. They're through the door, the women in the shuttle are firing at something behind her.

Cole flings the Vulcan inside, hoists herself in after her, feels the soft thump of two hits in her back. Two hits.

T'Pol starts to regain consciousness, grabs Cole by the back of her collar, pulls her inside. God, Vulcans are strong. Cole watches her hobble to the co-pilot seat, the shuttle lifts off, there are more hits, many of them, none strong enough to pierce the outer skin. They're up, theyre going.

Cole sees the sun, she thinks its the sun. So bright. the entire shuttle is filled with it. She closes her eyes in front of the brilliance.

xxx

** _Epilogue_**

Shuttle Two has been waiting in the decompressed Shuttle Bay. There is not enough time to repressurize for them and depressurize the bay for Shuttle One. It's hot and uncomfortable, twelve grown men squeezed into a tight space, but nobody complains. They're all looking through the front window at the open maw of the bay, waiting on tenterhooks for Shuttle One.

There is a collective gasp of relieved surprise when Shuttle One appears over the horizon. The shuttle glides to a stop. The doors close and the Bay is repressurized. The field of stars outside changes as Enterprise goes to warp.

The Shuttle Two doors open and the men get out, stopping in their tracks as Phlox barges in with a gurney and orderlies. He rushes to Shuttle One, the door opens, a body is taken out. Cole disappears in a group of running orderlies. Now it is the turn of Shuttle One to empty itself of its occupants. T'Pol is still seating. The last woman turns to her "Need a hand, Captain?"

The Vulcan looks up, steels herself, allows a guiding hand. She's limping severely, stops at the shuttle door, trying to figure out how to negotiate the step down. Several hands are held out to her and she manages the exit. The crew forms a semi-circle around her.

And then they start applauding.

She's not sure what reaction is expected from her so she doesn't react. The irruption of Archer into the Shuttle Bay, Trip on his heels, is a welcome interruption. Except that they stop in line with the crew and join the applause.

She cocks her head to the side, her eyes wide with Vulcan confusion, and Trip can't help but come to her rescue. She looks like a lost bird when that happens. He comes to her side, taking her arm so she can use him as a crutch. He smiles at Archer, or tries to, half his face still swollen, "With your leave, Captain, I think we're both needed in Sickbay."

Archer is all business again, "Good. Debrief all around when you get back." He walks to the intercom, "Hoshi, give me a ship-wide channel," listens for her signal before he clears his throat, eyeing the crew in the Shuttle Bay meaningfully. "Attention all crew members, this is Captain Archer speaking. Everyone who was not prisoner on Aneukaria is on a mandatory eight-day leave starting immediately. I don't want to see any of you at your stations for a week. We'll manage. I repeat, eight days. Captain out." He pauses. "Oh, and I'm putting all of you in for a commendation." He shuts the connection, turns back around to the crew in the Shuttle Bay. They all need a bath, a change of clothes, getting back to normal. For him and the men it means getting back to work as soon as possible.

Trip is helping T'Pol hobble her way out of the Shuttle Bay. She stops as they pass Archer. "The Aneukarians?" she asks. "They were simply a people trying to survive," she adds, "Their actions were logical if ill-advised."

Archer stares at her for a couple of beats. Only a Vulcan... Well, not only. Phlox too button-holed him on the bridge. But he can't let it be known, he'd have a riot on his hands. He lowers his voice, "I asked Phlox to beam down all our reserves of active male members DNA. It will give them a head start while we tell the Federation about the planet, see what the want to do." He winks at Trip, "We'll just have to replenish Phlox's inventory."

Trip raises his eyebrows at that, is reminded that half of his face is still hurting. He glances over at T'Pol, thinking about what he's going to have to tell her. She may argue with Archer to go to Aneukaria and grab the DNA back.

xxx

** _Captain's Log_** \- The Federation is sending a diplomatic mission to Aneukaria. They have more scientific teams volunteering to take part then they need, it is not every day that one meets a race that only has a single sex. Operation Aneukaria has been renamed Operation Cole and Amanda Cole is being awarded the Medal of Valor. Archer out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> X-Eliantix (X-Eel-yan-teex) - captain of Tarorat (tah-roh-raht), the Aneukarian ship.
> 
> X-Aljikax (X-Al-jee-kahx) - first officer of Tarorat.
> 
> X-Igofox (X-Ai-go-fox) - doctor of Tarorat.
> 
> X-Urwjanx (X-Your-wuh-janx) - chief engineer of Tarorat.
> 
> X-Irtanimox (X-Ear-than-ee-mox) - ruler of Aneukaria.
> 
> Irivmeced (Ear-vee-muh-said) - Aneukaria's main Council.
> 
> X-Crafonaox (X-Crahf-on-hoax) - Aneukarian general.
> 
> X-Smalix (X-Small-eex) - pilot of Tarorat.
> 
> X-Psilex (X-psai-lex) - ensign on Tarorat
> 
> Specialist Amanda Cole - security
> 
> Specialist Jennifer Ygout - security
> 
> Specialist Nadine Akhoun - science
> 
> Lieutenant Azucena Ortiz - operations
> 
> Specialist Nancy Gordon - science
> 
> Specialist Florence Beausang - Engineering
> 
> Lieutenant Hess - engineering
> 
> Ensign Harold Willcox - Pakled spy
> 
> Specialist Aiko Nagamura - operations


	4. Linnaeus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the other story, starting with the same prologue. 
> 
> Sorry for the missing chapters, I've been having issues with AO3 not updating the story unless I added a chapter.

** _Chapter 1: Linnaeus Prologue_ ** __ __

_ **Enterprise** _

"Captain Archer's log. We're still in the Porcellio Gamma Three constellation. There have been no reportable events, the science teams are hard at work verifying the Vulcan star charts and cataloguing new information."  
Archer clicked off the com with a sigh. Lucky scientists. The entire ship was abuzz with their excitement, Enterprise had become one giant geekfest. It was day sixteen of their assignment and as far as he was concerned it might as well have been day sixty-one. That's how long he felt this had dragged on already. Way too long. He needed some action. But hard to deflate the excitement of his teams with the news that their captain was bored.  
At least he had Trip on his side, the Engineering crew had pretty much hand-buffed every last head of every last screw on board. In a little while, the numbers would be with him, there would be more bored crew members than not and the balance would start tipping. Then he could start gently asking T'Pol when they would be done without getting lectured about the invaluable data they were streaming on a daily basis.  
Every day found her almost impatiently waiting to be done with breakfast so that she could run down to the labs and start another day of exploration. Of course, she'd deny every last bit of it, Vulcans didn't run and they didn't get excited, yadi, yadi, yada. But she didn't fool anyone.  
"Captain, I'm getting a distress call!" Hoshi interrupted his mulling.  
'Damn, Jonathan, don't you know better than ask for action?!' part of him reproached. The other part couldn't help celebrate the news that there would at last be something for him to do. To each his own.  
"Hoshi, ask their coordinates and let them know we're on our way; Travis, set a course when we have them!" His commands were short, efficient. "Ah, Hoshi, also let the science teams know we're detouring for a short while, tell them we'll be back as soon as the emergency's resolved."  
It was something he should have done himself, but he just didn't feel like being the messenger. T'Pol would look at him as if she suspected he'd had something to do with it, and truth be told he would'a if he could'a. That made him not wish to face her. To each his own.

It took two days before they finally spotted the alien ship, unmoving though life support systems were obviously still on. It was huge, larger than he'd expected. But then, why would a ship in distress by necessity be small? This transport was almost half the size of Enterprise, at least three decks to judge by the portholes, and a huge bow. Definitely not a design he was familiar with.  
"Hail them, Hoshi, put it on the screen."  
He glanced over at T'Pol and was graced with a quizzical eyebrow in return. Now that there was no more data to be collected, she was back on the bridge. He shrugged his ignorance of what was wrong with the vessel, waiting tensely for an image to appear on the main screen.  
And what an image. There were a dozen or so of those beings on the alien ship's bridge. These were definitely aliens. Long, tall, and willowy. Graced with external sexual characteristics that firmly established they were female. They had a general air of kinship. They were all tall, their necks elongated beyond the Human norm, their eyes naturally shadowed, their hair a two-tone white and tan.  
They were chittering excitedly with each other. Finally, one of them split from the group, came closer to the view of the bridge crew. Archer noticed there was a double edging of some sorts along the lines of the short-legged tunic that hung close to her body. He got up from his chair and walked to the screen.  
"I am Captain Archer, of the Federation Starship Enterprise. We've received a distress call."  
A pair of huge black eyes blinked repeatedly. She looked stupefied, like she had never seen aliens before. Usually space farers were slightly more accustomed to encountering other humanoids. She started chittering at the screen.  
Archer turned to Hoshi, "The universal translator's not working!"  
Hoshi was frowning, looked back up at him. "It may take a few moments to calibrate. I don't know what their root language is."  
At that moment, the tall alien started talking in Standard. "I am X-Eliantix, Captain of the fulfillment vessel Tarorat. We're experiencing technical difficulties."  
Archer glanced at Hoshi. "Fulfillment vessel?" he asked softly. She briefly shook her head, she had no idea what the translator meant. He turned his attention back to the alien. "What kind of technical difficulties?"  
"Our engines won't maintain more than life support systems. We need to get back to our planet for repairs." The alien captain still seemed somewhat enervated, to judge by the repeated rapid blinking of her eyes. She was looking fixedly at Hoshi.  
Archer turned to Trip, who was looking a lot chipper. This emergency was a godsend for him as well. "Perhaps we can help," Archer replied. He turned to T'Pol. "How's the atmosphere on the ship?"  
"The levels are quite acceptable for Human lifeforms, comfortable even." T'Pol dropped her voice. "May I remind you of Starfleet directives -"  
"My chief engineer will go over shortly with a couple of technicians, see what can be done," Archer announced to the alien captain, cutting T'Pol off because she could finish her sentence.  
He knew what she was going to say. That he needed to ascertain these aliens didn't present any danger or threat, and were generally inoffensive in their disposition. If he listened to regulations, they'd never do any exploring.  
Archer trusted his gut instinct, and his gut instinct was that these aliens were inoffensive.  
xxx  


_ **Tarorat** _

  
A silence fell over the bridge as the aliens walked in. A dozen pair of black orbs blinked repeatedly. Finally the Captain walked over to the new arrivals. "What are you?" she asked in a half-whisper.  
The alien with the gold hair bared his teeth, though it did not seem to be threatening. "We're Humans, ma'am, from a planet called Earth. I am Charles Tucker the Third, Chief Engineer on Enterprise, but call me Trip."  
Trip hesitated, wondering whether it was good manners, but curiosity was the stronger. "And what are you?" he asked.  
"We're Aneukarians," X-Eliantix responded. The others stood around her in stupefied silence. Trip almost felt like checking that the two technicians with him were not doing anything incongruous. He figured the Aneukarians hadn't dealt with many aliens before.  
"I thought perhaps we could have a look at the engines, see if there's anything we can do for you?" Trip flashed his broadest smile again, all southern charm. Three Aneukarians separated from the group and one of them introduced herself as the engineer.  
After walking what seemed to be miles of corridor, the six of them were staring at the warp coil and the blinking crystal chamber. Trip frowned, this didn't look too good.  
One of the technicians siddled closer as they were taking readings. "Chief, did'ya see, they're all females!" he whispered. Trip rolled his eyes. Like he hadn't noticed. "What d'you think it is?" Awada asked again.  
Trip shrugged him off with a shoulder. "We don't know their world. Perhaps the men are much smaller."  
"Or perhaps the men carry babies," McBreen cut in, guffawing. Trip rolled his eyes. Since the Xyrillian incident, there'd been plenty of jabs from his men. They loved him to death, and he didnt let it bother him. "Yes, there are worlds where men stay home and have the babies. Get over yourself, McBreen."  
"Or perhaps there's no men!" Awada anted up. The three of them chuckled at the thought.

xxx  
**_Chapter 2: Linnaeus - Act I_** __ __

_ **Enterprise** _

"It's a mess, Jon, we need to do a complete refit of the dilithium cylinder," Trip was talking animatedly when T'Pol walked in. He acknowledged her with a nod before going on, "the best option is to replicate the parts we need here on Enterprise, but I'll need to do a full shut-down for the install. I figure it'll take two days at least."  
Archer nodded in understanding. "And if you do a complete shut-down, they won't have any life support."  
"For two days," Trip repeated. Two days without life support was somewhat of a death sentence.  
"Perhaps we could bring them to Enterprise for two days," Archer mulled. "How many of them are there? Forty?"  
"Forty-two," Trip replied.  
"Captain," T'Pol interjected, "we still do not know if their race is inoffensive or what their intentions are."  
"I know, T'Pol, I know," Archer groused, "but what else do you suggest? We can't kill them all in the process of fixing their engines, that'd be counter-productive, don't you think?"  
"I am not advocating to deny them aid," his Vulcan officer replied, "but I advise you to proceed cautiously. You are offering to bring an alien group on board who is almost as numerous as the Enterprise's crewmembers. We need to be prepared for the eventuality they are hostile or have adverse objectives."  
"I see your point -"  
"-Sir?"  
Trip suppressed a smile while Archer mentally rolled his eyes. Sometimes he wondered if T'Pol wasn't doing it on purpose. "I understand, T'Pol. I'll brief Lieutenant Reed. Why don't you work with him at figuring the best set-up. Trip, you'll have to try to go faster than that. I don't want them on board much longer than two days."  
"As long as I have my hands on their engines they can't create too much havoc," Trip replied with a smile.  
"True enough." Archer looked at both commanders. "In the meantime, why don't we invite Captain X-Eliantix and some of her officers over to dinner, see what they're made of," and quickly, before anyone could ask, "that means check their intentions, T'Pol."  
xxx  


_ **Tarorat** _

  
"They have men on board!" X-Aljikax was pacing back and forth within their quarters, fuming, unable to accept the evidence her eyes had shown her.  
"Come back to bed," X-Eliantix implored. X-Aljikax was a great second but too quick to get angered. "Yes, they have men on board," she placated, "they're aliens, remember. That must be normal on their planet."  
"But there were more men than women!" X-Aljikax almost strangled herself with fury. "And you expect us to go there and act normal, as if this wasn't a debasement?!"  
"You didn't agree to serve with me so that you could stay comfortably on Aneukaria!" X-Eliantix was getting annoyed at her lover. "We've never encountered beings like them before. They obviously are un-evolved, but that is not our concern. We still have a ship that needs fixing!"  
That seemed to take the edge off X-Aljikax. She stopped pacing, came back to the bed where X-Eliantix was half-raised, sat down dejectedly next to her. "Our luck, the engines are gone, and the people who come to our aid are men," she commented drily. X-Eliantix nodded along at the irony of it all. She rubbed X-Aljikax's arm. "It's only for a short time. It won't pollute us to go. We can find out more about their species, their civilization."  
"What if they're aggressive, if they try to capture us, make us hostages, or worse?" She started laughing as she said it. They obviously had nothing to fear from men.  
X-Eliantix chuckled in return, but then grew serious, "Remember we don't know anything about them. Never underestimate what you don't know. Men could be the stronger sex in their species." That got the two of them laughing in long drawn out neighs, the thought was hysterically funny.  
X-Eliantix grew serious, "We have to be careful not to antagonize them. Right now we're vulnerable, our ship is incapacitated. They could destroy it and make us prisoner." That sobered X-Aljikax in turn. She reluctantly nodded. "And remember the mission," X-Ealiantix went on. "They could be what we're looking for."  
X-Aljikax had to admit the possibility. It would be very convenient if the ship rescuing them also provided what they had been looking for. Still, it seemed far-fetched. "Yes, and somehow they'll be compatible! Just like that!" she joked, X-Ealiantix might be a good leader, but sometimes she was over-optimistic.  
"Our scientists can work with almost anything," X-Ealiantix replied.  
Obviously, she was in one of her highly optimistic moods. X-Aljikax decided to drop the subject. "I promise I'll play nice, you won't have to complain," she said, "they'll never guess what I actually think of them."  
X-Eliantix patted the bed next to her and X-Aljikax went to lay down. "But," the latter added, "if one of these disgusting things touches me, all bets are off. I'll take their heads off."  
X-Eliantix rolled her eyes, sighing. Yes, X-Aljikax was a good companion and fun to have on the mission, but she was just too fast to anger.  
xxx  
 ** __** __ __

_ **Enterprise** _

As far as dinner parties went, the one with Captain Vanik had been a resounding success compared to their dinner with the Aneukarians. Archer forced a smile, trying to cut through the frozen silence.  
Things had been somewhat promising at first, the aliens seemed to warm up when they saw T'Pol. Archer got the sense they looked at him as being of no consequence but if the aliens were happy talking to his science officer, so be it. She'd been able to ask fairly extensive questions about their planet and civilization, where they hailed from, and more importantly, what had brought them to an these parts of the galaxy. Archer had to give it to her, she was just as suspicious as Lieutenant Reed.  
And then Trip had shown up. Their guests had taken one long look at him, another long look at T'Pol, seemed to sniff the air, and turned into frozen unresponsive statues who would only answer with monosyllables and avoided looking at T'Pol.  
Obviously, the Vulcan had offended them in some way. Part of him was irritated, pretty certain that she had said something unpleasant to the Aneukarians without even realizing it. Wasn't that how all Vulcans went? Part of him was irritated at their guests, who obviously didn't know anything about common social courtesies. Human courtesies.  
He threw a meaningful glance at Trip, received one in return. The Aneukarians had been treating them as if they were scum under their shoes. The second-in-command, X-Algeekax, — gosh, those names — almost visibly recoiled every time he tried to talk to her, as if she didn't expect him to talk or as if it was somehow offensive that he would. He threw another side glance at Trip, who was faring no better.  
If the aliens wouldn't talk to the men and wouldn't talk to the women, he wasn't quite sure what there was left to do. Perhaps if they'd had a third sex on board... That reminded him of the Vissian, another cross-cultural disaster. Archer sighed again, picking up his glass of water and wishing it was Bourbon. Things didn't look promising at all. It was difficult to get any kind of useful information on the Aneukarian planet and civilization in monosyllables.  
Fortunately, the end of the meal arrived. Archer pushed back from the table before anybody had the misguided idea to propose dessert or after-dinner coffee. They walked their guests to the airlock in silence, the aliens' backs stiff with distaste or displeasure or whatever it was that animated them. He gave a long-suffering sigh as the door closed on them and turned to T'Pol. "What was that all about?"  
"What was what all about, Captain?" T'Pol edged.  
"The way they behaved. Did you notice, at first they were fine with you, then all of a sudden it was like they couldn't be in the same room, like we were impure or something."  
"Impure?" T'Pol wasn't sure she understood the Human connotation of the word.  
"You know, like we were untouchable, someone they shouldn't associate with."  
T'Pol blinked. She had noticed the change in behavior, it would have been quite unseemly for a science officer not to observe the difference. She had also noticed it had happened after the aliens met Trip. There were a number of possible explanations for the change in treatment, more than she could efficiently relay to the Captain. "It would be difficult to surmise which factor was the leading cause of their behavior," she finally offered as a conclusion.  
Archer nodded, "It looks like the stay aboard will be more unpleasant for them than it will be for us."  
"We still do not know enough about their culture, Captain," T'Pol advised him, "their reaction to us was worthy of note."  
Archer frowned, thinking. "It would be hard to ask directly, we could offend them. Though I'm not sure that'll make a whole lot of difference. Can you check the Vulcan database, see if you can find anything about their society? And all the other databases, just in case." Though it was doubtful any of the other databases would have any information on the species.  
"Most certainly." The mention of the Vulcan database had pushed T'Pol on a different track. "I trust that once we proceed with the repairs on their ship we will resume our initial mission of exploration?"  
Archer could have groaned, and he was pretty certain Trip could have too. On the other hand, they'd just gotten a few days reprieve. "Of course we will," he quickly reassured her. Then, to change the subject, "Let Lieutenant Reed know about their attitude, see if the two of you want to change anything to how we're planning to house our guests."  
T'Pol gave a brief nod, "Lieutenant Reed shares my concerns about the intentions of an alien group residing on Enterprise." Archer refrained from commenting that yes, he would expect as much, Reed was paranoid to start with. "We will triple the Anakeurians in crew member cabins. It may be slightly uncomfortable but it is only for a short duration. And in light of their behavior tonight, I would expect being with their own kind will be satisfactory to them." She didn't add that having the Anakeurians separated in individual cabins rather than housed together as a group would enable swifter external control if needed.  
"Good. Trip, you handle the replicator side, let us know when everything is ready. T'Pol, given how the Anakeurians reacted today, let's try to minimize any interaction with the crew. When they do come on board, I want mainly women to interact with them. They seemed to be okay with you at first. Let's see if we can make it last longer." He slapped Trip on the shoulder, "You and I are stuck with manning the ship, I guess. A man's work is never done... It's a joke, T'Pol," he added over his shoulder as the two of them started down the corridor.  
She blinked at their retreating backs. Captain Archer seemed to think she was the reason the aliens had been cold and aloof. That was most illogical. A keen observer would have noticed the change occurred when Commander Tucker joined them. Only time and observation would enable her to understand why.  
xxx  


_ **Tarorat** _

  
"It's an abomination!" Going to the alien ship had not done anything for X-Aljikax's state of mind.  
"That's not what we're here to discuss," X-Eliantix cut her off. She turned back to the ship's doctor, X-Igofox. "The ones we met were not compatible and one was a deviant. But there are others. We saw them when we first were contacted by the ship. Those may be compatible."  
X-Igofox nodded in agreement, "I would need to run some tests, make sure they are carriers. But you both realize that even the deviant... physically it doesn't change anything?" She hesitated. "Are you sure it was a deviant," she added. These people were aliens after all.  
"Deviants!" X-Aljikax spat through her teeth, "I will kill them myself rather than let them destroy the fabric of our civilization!"  
X-Igofox carefully eyed the second-in-command. One couldn't argue with beliefs. No proof in the world would convince X-Aljikax that she was foregoing viable candidates. She decided to change the subject. "What have you observed?" she asked X-Eliantix.  
"Very little, unfortunately. Once we realized these were not potential sources, we stopped sharing information." She turned to X-Aljikax, "Perhaps the answer is to go back, meet with more of them, see if there are any who could be compatible."  
"Even a single one is better than none," X-Igofox reminded them. She addressed X-Aljikax, "And I know this will be disagreeable to hear but even deviants could be used. It has been generations since we've had a purification ceremony."  
The captain and her second nodded as they considered the possibility. X-Eliantix turned to the doctor, "How are you going to get what you need?"  
"What about those who come on our ship? We could start with them," X-Aljikax offered.  
"I can scan them," X-Igofox agreed, "so we can learn how they're different. It will give me a basis for research."  
"Make sure they don't know about it," X-Eliantix warned. The less the aliens knew about their plans, the better. "We need to learn more," she turned to X-Igofox. "We'll ask for you to go on the ship, meet with their healer. Find out everything you can about their species and about those on the ship. Perhaps we can't use them but we need to have the information."  
xxx  
 ** __** __ __

_ **Enterprise** _

"I'll be happy to help you in any way I can," Phlox smiled from ear to ear at X-Igofox, "between colleagues, it's the least we can do." The way the alien woman was staring at him was disconcerting. Like he was somehow unworthy. "Now, when will you be available for a full-body scan? I would love to know more about Aneukarians, add your species to the Interspecies Medical Exchange Database."  
X-Igofox didn't seem to be hearing him. Phlox cleared his throat to catch her attention. She looked at him as if he were something vile caught under her shoe and he took a step back. "Are you a man?" she asked.  
"I'm not a Human male, if that's what you're asking, I'm a Denobulan male, from the planet Denobula."  
She nodded, seeming to consider what he had just said. "What about the one with the pointed ears. Is she a man?"  
"T'Pol? She's a Vulcan female, from the planet Vulcan. She and I are the only aliens aboard Enterprise." It seemed he should make that point.  
That seemed to be of great interest to the Aneukarian doctor. "I need her genome. And yours."  
Phlox was taken aback by the request. Sharing their entire genetic make-up... He couldn't help thinking of Terra Prime and other nefarious groups. "I'm afraid that is classified information," he diverted. "Is there anything specifically you were looking for?"  
"I am a geneticist by formation," X-Igofox did not miss a beat, "I like to study the chromosomal structure of other life forms."  
Somehow Phlox had a feeling there was more to it than that but he projected the impression of being satisfied with her answer. "Of course. Well, I'm afraid I can't share the genomes but to give you an overall view, the structure is the same across most of the Federation worlds. You have a male chromosome and a female one and depending on the species, the combinations gives you either a male or female offspring. Perhaps we can talk more when you come back for that scan, hmmm?" His smile didn't reach his eyes.  
As she left his office, Phlox scowled briefly. She didn't ask for the genome of the Humans. He wondered if it was because she already had it. He made a mental note to mention it to Captain Archer when he saw him.  
xxx  


_ **Tarorat** _

  
Trip smiled at X-Urwjanx. At times the Aneukarian engineer seemed almost accepting of him, quite an improvement on the rest of them. It even felt like she forgot he was an alien, as in when they were adjusting the specs for the parts that the replicator was fabricating, or checking the fit of a hard-to-reach element of the drive. Soon enough, everything would be in place and they could start moving the entire Tarorat complement to Enterprise. Then he would be working with his team, and her team, in spacesuits for a good part of it. Spacesuit work was always dangerous. He would be relieved when their engine was repaired, they could start life-support systems again, and he could go back to his daily routine.  
"You're not a woman?" X-Urwjanx asked as she handed him a duotronic inverter wrench.  
Trip almost chocked on the answer. Granted all of the Aneukarians they'd be dealing with were women, but still. Unless they didn't have any men around? Awada's comment came back to him. He shook it out of his mind. No, that couldn't be. "Yes, ma'am, I'm not a woman. I'm a man," he drawled back. He put his hands on his hips, looking at her with amusement, waiting for what came next.  
X-Urwjanx went silent, seeming to consider his response. "How many women do you have on Enterprise?"  
He could understand the question. After all, the entire Tarorat complement was female. It must feel weird to find a ship that was manned by men also. "Currently, we have twenty-four women on board," he replied. He thought for a minute, but no, there had been no new female recruits at Coragis VI, "Yes, twenty-four." He stretched from where he had been bending over the equipment, freeing the tube. "Why d'you ask?"  
"We don't have males on Aneukaria," the engineer answered.  
It was Trip's turn to look at her in silence, "No males?" that seemed a little hard to believe.  
The engineer shook her head. "No males. Aneukarians are self-sufficient. We don't need lower life forms to complete us."  
'Lower life forms, eh' — Trip took a deep breath, tried to keep his tone jocular. "Well, on Earth, men aren't considered to be lower life forms. We're the equal of women. And vice versa. There's not one sex that's better than the other," he could feel his ears burning with anger.  
X-Urwjanx was the picture of disapproval itself, "That's not our way."  
'Well, swell,' he thought, 'you can stay on Aneukaria and we'll stay on Earth. And on Enterprise.' He didn't say it out loud, though. "Infinite diversity in infinite combinations," he finally muttered. That was a good reminder not to start pissing all over Aneukarian civilization.  
"Uh?"  
Ah, yes, of course, the Aneukarian wouldn't know the saying. Leave it up to the lower life form to tell her. "It's a Vulcan saying," he explained, "it means that there's all kind of ways that things can be." That should answer the question. "And that none of them are wrong," he added.  
The Aneukarian didn't look like it was a philosophy she would consider adhering to. She turned to the manifold screen, "I don't want to share space with men."  
Ah, that's what the issue was, Trip suddenly intuited. Of course. "You won't be sharing space with men," he explained. "Malcolm and T'Pol have been requisitioning a separate set of cabins just for you guys. You'll be three to a cabin, tight, very tight if you ask me, but all Aneukarians." He straightened up, making an effort to smile. "The only ones doubling up will be the crew of Enterprise."  
"Doubling-up?"  
"Yes, you know, instead of one person to a cabin, they'll bunk with someone else. If they're two to a cabin, there'll be a third." Of course the officers' quarters were off-limit, but she didn't need to know about that. "Enough people volunteered, it's easier that way."  
X-Urwjanx stopped what she was doing, sniffed the air around him, "You too?"  
Trip chuckled, "Oh not, not me. Officers... we have our separate quarters, you know." There was something about the way she looked at him in return that made him feel very strange. He trailed off, not sure what he'd said to offend her, but now seemed a good time to switch the subject. He paused, looked around at the engine room. "It's hard to believe there's only forty-two of you, the ship's much bigger than that. Perhaps you can give me a tour when we're done?"  
That seemed to snap the engineer out of her momentary reverie. "Half of the ship is storage rooms," she explained, "the lower levels." She abruptly stopped herself, busied herself inspecting her tools.  
"Storage rooms?" This didn't look like a merchant ship. Trip wondered what they must have in storage.  
But X-Urwjanx was calling his attention to the photovoltaic reconfigurator. He picked up on her lead and they both went back to dealing with engine stuff.  
xxx  
 ** __** __ __

_ **Enterprise** _

"Think about it, tomorrow at this time you'll be back on your ship, ready to take off!" Archer raised his glass in a toast, followed by his dinner companions. T'Pol accented his toast with an eyebrow. X-Eliantix and X-Aljikax followed suit with their drinks. Overall, Archer was pleased with the state of affairs. The Aneukarian captain and her first officer had grown somewhat used to him over the past few days, they no longer seemed to cringe whenever he talked. He still felt they were somewhat uncomfortable around him.  
And his chief engineer was hardly around, shuttling back and forth between Enterprise and the Tarorat. But now everything was ready, the preparations for the refit had already started, the Tarorat support systems had been taken off-line a day ago. The engineering teams would be refitting the engines overnight, then a brief test to make sure everything worked as planned and they'd come back to Enterprise, leaving the Tarorat empty of all occupants while the engines cycled through launch, spewing radiation and pollutants all over the ship. The life-support systems would patiently filter and clean the air, and then the Aneukarians would be back on the Tarorat and off to wherever it was they planned to go.  
Another day and they would be back on their ship. The hosting of the Aneukarian crew had gone remarkably smoothly, the aliens came over in three of their shuttles, not complaining about being packed like sardines in there or about having to sleep three to a room. Or about anything. And they'd scarcely be seen around the ship, spending their entire time in their quarters, going through the ship databases, per Reed's reports. Of course, Reed was keeping a precise log of what they accessed and when, and of any attempts to enter the restricted areas of the central computer. But the aliens had been behaving.  
Somehow, he felt they had learned a lot more about Humans than the Humans had learned about Aneukarians. But that was because Enterprise was the one doing the hosting. At least they had a good idea where Aneukaria lay, if not exact coordinates.  
Every last female crew member had been engaging the aliens when they were around, getting pieces of information here and there. When they were gone, they'd pull all the pieces together and establish a brief profile of Aneukarian society, to be completed by some future ethnologist group. In the meantime, he owed it to his science teams to go back to where they were before and pick up on cataloguing the rogue stars.  
xxx  


_ **Tarorat** _

  
"We're ready, Captain," Trip's voice resonated over the intercom.  
"Good job," Archer's voice came over more faintly, "good luck and we'll see you back on Enterprise."  
Trip shut off the connection, turned to the five space suits around him, noticing once again that the Aneukarians were taller than they were. Stronger, too, as he'd discovered when they had to re-insert the trilithium oxidizer range. That thing must weight upwards of fifty pounds, and X-Urwjanx had grabbed it with one hand, lifting it easily. Even T'Pol was not as strong.  
Awada and McBreen had been left speechless. Trip had commented on it, and X-Urwjanx had looked at him as if there was something wrong with his question, that lifting fifty pounds with a hand was the norm. That's when he realized they really didn't know much about the Aneukarians.  
It was a good thing Reed was keeping track of the aliens on Enterprise. He'd made a note to let Reed and Jon know about how strong they were, but hadn't had the time. Actually, he probably should have let them know already. He'd do it as soon as he went back on board Enterprise.  
McBreen was asking him a question about the condenser controls, they were not aligning properly, and he went to check, forgetting about other considerations.  
xxx  
 ** __** __ __

_ **Enterprise** _

"So that's how many there are?" X-Eliantix asked.  
"Yes, Captain," X-Psilex and X-Urwjanx responded as one. X-Eliantix nodded her approval. She addressed X-Igofox, "What about compatibility?"  
The healer nodded vigorously, "Based on the information the doctor provided, all of them are compatible. There are a few deviants, though. How do you propose to handle those?"  
X-Aljikax snorted, as X-Igofox knew she would. She didn't let it bother her. The ban on deviants was purely cultural, there was nothing different with them physiologically. But she knew she wouldn't ever convince her otherwise, and X-Aljikax had the captain's ear to boot. The better approach was to take everyone with them. Perhaps she could convince the Aneukarian government to use the deviants as well. She hated waste.  
X-Eliantix was still silent, seemed to be thinking. X-Igofox realized she may not want to oppose her second directly. She herself didn't think these pairings worked, of having a ship's captain automatically serve with her lover. There were too many conflicts. But it wasn't her place to comment. "It might be easier to grab everyone than try sorting it out while we're on the alien ship," she provided a way out.  
X-Eliantix gladly took it, "Yes, that's the best approach." She turned to X-Urwjanx before X-Aljifax could comment, "And the storage areas are ready?"  
The engineer nodded, "Everything's in place."  
"— Captain," Aljikax interrupted, "We can't use the deviants." X-Igofox looked at her askance but didn't say anything.  
"X-Urwjanx, we'll have to keep them separately," X-Eliantix agreed. It was starting to look like success was near. Yes, the engines had failed, but they'd end up with the hoped for cargo and they wouldn't have to spend more time in space.  
"We're ready, Captain," X-Psilex whispered in the darkened room, "We've reassembled it." Even if the aliens were listening, they wouldn't know what she was referring to.  
"You have the supplies?" X-Eliantix asked X-Igofox.  
The healer puffed up her hair, parting it in the middle to reveal a small canister made of inert material. She handed it to X-Urwjanx. "Here, I checked the dosage against their vital statistics. We'll have plenty of time."  
"How will we prevent them from following our trace?" X-Smalix asked. She knew how much radiation newly-installed engines could give.  
X-Aljikax straightened with pleasure, "I have the answer. Here's what we'll do." The Anakeurians crew crowded around her as she explained how it was going to go down.

xxx  
**_Chapter 3: Linnaeus - Act II_** __ __

_ **Enterprise** _

Archer groaned, bringing a hand to his head. He couldn't remember what happened the night before but all he knew was that he should have known better. He rolled over on his back, staring at the ceiling over his head. He must have blacked out. He hadn't drank that much at dinner, had he? All he could remember was having some wine, then... He was fuzzy on the 'then'. No, come to think of it, he hadn't overindulged. There was no reason and no opportunity. It must be something he ate.  
He looked over where Porthos usually slept, the beagle was still asleep, his flanks gently rising every time he inhaled. Archer settled back into his pillow, ready to go on with the night. And sat bold upright in his bed. He wasn't tired. What time was it exactly? A quick glance showed the time to be 0557. That woke him up fully. He needed to get up and get going, today was the day the Aneukarians went back to the Tarorat.  
He got up, yawning. He still had an hour before the official shift. He'd be able to get ready and even have breakfast too.

Trip woke up, feeling he'd had a full night sleep. T'Pol was already up, her side of the bed empty. He mechanically checked the meditation corner but she was not meditating. She must be in the bathroom, getting ready. He would gladly have gone back to sleep but he felt refreshed. A quick glance at the chronometer showed the time to be 0611.  
He might as well get up. He swung his legs to the side of the bed, stretching and yawning, keeping an eye on the door to the bathroom. After a couple of minutes, he walked over. The door swooshed open but nobody was inside. T'Pol couldn't have already gone to the bridge, it was too early. Unless somehow she was paged because the Aneukarians were leaving today. But that wouldn't have happened without him. Plus he would've heard a page during the night, he never slept that soundly.  
He figured she must have gotten up early. He would catch her up in the mess hall or on the bridge. He stepped into the shower. It was still dry. He chuckled, she must really have gotten up early.  
Thirty minutes later he was in the mess hall, which seemed emptier than usual. T'Pol was not there. Trip nodded to several of the Engineering crew, they'd all soon be watching the Aneukarian ship sail out at sunrise, in a manner of speaking. It would be a good feeling to see the result of all their hard work pay off.  
Trip ate faster than usual. The Aneukarian ship must be ready by now. T'Pol must already be on the bridge. As he left the mess hall he almost ran into Malcolm, who was walking in, looking around as if he was looking for someone he knew.

Archer was already in the captain's chair, drinking from a steaming mug of coffee, when Trip walked in. Trip noted that the science console was empty, which was slightly surprising. Hoshi wasn't there either. It struck him that the two of them must have gone to the gym together. Of course.  
Archer looked up at Trip, "T'Pol with you?"  
"Nah, she got up way early," Trip shrugged, "I didn't see her in the mess hall, she must be at the gym." He smiled to himself, thinking how put off she'd be if she ended up being late for her shift. He could imagine she must be rushing to get ready right now.  
"I'm going to check the latest readings on the Aneukarian ship," he told Archer, "Once we confirm the radiation's off, the Aneukarians can be on their way."  
They both looked up as Malcolm entered the brige at a fast pace. He slowed down, looking around. "Lieutenant Reed," Archer greeted him.  
"Ah, huh, Captain," the Englishman didn't answer with his usual crispness, "I was looking for...," he stopped, realizing nobody'd asked him. He was looking over towards the helm. His hair was still wet. Behind him Travis entered and took his place at the helm.  
Reed went to his console, looking pointedly over at Trip. The engineer sidled over matter-of-factly. "Something's the matter?" he whispered.  
Malcolm looked at the Captain, making sure he was otherwise engaged. "Have you seen Hoshi?" he whispered back.  
Trip was amused. Malcolm and Hoshi took such pains to hide their relationship. He wasn't sure why, Archer had been fairly accepting when he and T'Pol had told him they were together. But then, the fact that she was a Vulcan and somewhat outside of the carefully-drawn Starfleet lines helped somewhat. "Nah," he replied, "I figure she hit the gym with T'Pol."  
"But she's not at the gym," Reed whispered back, "I just went there."  
That got Trip's attention. He stared at him silently. If T'Pol was not in the mess hall and not at the gym... perhaps there was something wrong with her. Maybe she went to Sickbay? He needed to go check on her.  
"Captain, may I—" he was interrupted by Travis suddenly exclaiming, "The Aneukarian ship! It's gone!"  
"What?!" Archer was already up, caught his coffee cup before it hit the floor.  
Reed looked up from his console, "There's no alien ship within sensor range! None docked either!" he exclaimed.  
"What's going on?!" Archer exclaimed. He turned to Trip, "I thought the engines wouldn't be ready until morning?"  
"The radiation must have gone down during the night," Trip went to his console, checked the night's readings. "Radiation readings were almost nil around 0200," he read, "and then they stopped completely...," he looked up again, "at 0320. Hess may know." He leaned over the intercom, "Trip to Engineering, reply."  
"Engineering here," a voice answered. Trip frowned. That was not Hess.  
"Where's Lieutenant Hess?" he asked.  
"I don't know, sir, I haven't seen her this morning."  
Trip frowned further. He'd never known her not to be on shift, not unless she'd been celebrating with her crew the night before. And there'd be no cause for celebration, they'd all been pulling all stops to fix the Aneukarian engines. In fact, she was at her station when he retired for the night. "Who else was on the night shift?"  
"Beausang, sir, but I haven't seen her either."  
Archer had come over to Trip's console and was hovering, scowling. The Aneukarians had left in the middle of the night, without even a good-bye? Perhaps it was culturally acceptable for them, but it was downright rude. Rude and suspicious. He looked over at Reed, "Take a couple of security men and go check their quarters."  
Reed swiftly exited. Archer turned to the junior at the sensor station but she wasn't there yet. He looked around the bridge. "Can anyone tell me if we have a trace on the Aneukarian ship?" he growled.  
An ensign quickly stepped over to the sensor station, sat down and fiddled with the controls, "It's been too long, sir," he finally answered, "we'll need the science teams." He glanced over at the science console, prudently refrained from saying more.  
Archer's frown deepened. T'Pol still wasn't there. He was interrupted by the beep of the chair's intercom. "Bridge here," he opened the line.  
"Captain," Dr. Phlox's voice rose over the bridge, "I just woke up." Archer threw a glance at Trip. What now? The Denobulan doctor was quickly going on, "I hibernated recently, I shouldn't have slept. This is highly unusual. So I did a self-examination and I found traces of an external agent in my blood. A powerful sedative. I want to check other crew members," the doctor sounded peeved, "once I find Ensign Cutler."  
"Ensign Cutler?"  
"She wasn't in her quart— at her post this morning," Phlox quickly corrected. It was a matter of some debate as to how much Captain Archer knew about the going ons between various crew members, and he saw no reason to enlighten him.  
"Is T'Pol in Sickbay?" Trip cut in over the intercom. Perhaps she was also affected by the sedative.  
"I haven't seen her. Why, is she also missing?"  
"Also missing?!" Archer looked in surprise at Trip, who could only stare back at him nonplussed.  
"I've already had half-a-dozen crew members through here looking for missing crew members — Ortiz, Gordon, Beausang, Akhoun, and Cutler, of course, now you're telling me T'Pol —  
"Hold on," Archer interrupted, looking around the bridge, "have you seen Hoshi or Vik?"  
"They're missing too?" Phlox replied.  
Trip was already on his way to the science station. "Computer, he asked, "please provide the location of..." he hesitated, looked at Archer then at Hoshi's empty chair, "Ensign Sato."  
"Ensign Sato is not aboard Enterprise," the metallic voice of the computer replied.  
Good thing Reed had left the bridge. Trip straightened, looking over at Archer with a puzzled expression that was reflected on the Captain's face. 'What does it mean, she's not on Enterprise?" Archer asked. Trip could see he was as flabbergasted as he was.  
He turned back to the science console. He didn't want to ask the next question, he somehow already knew the answer. But he had to. "Computer, please provide the location of Commander T'Pol."  
"Commander T'Pol is not aboard Enterprise." Trip inhaled reflexively, his chest tightening, feeling a sense of disorientation sweep through him. That couldn't be! How could it be? She was with him last night when they went to bed. Did someone take her? Who could have taken her? The aliens? He balled his fists, wanting to strike at someone, something, starting with the science console.  
Archer's chair beeped again. "Captain!" it was Malcolm. "The Aneukarians! They're gone. They've left a private message for you. Encrypted."  
"On my way! Trip, you're with me!' He was already running to the turbolift.

Reed and two security men were waiting by the computer inside the Aneukarian guest quarters. They briskly stepped aside when Archer came in, Trip on his heels. The three officers watched as Archer entered his code and X-Eliantix and X-Aljikax materialized on the screen. The video was short, too short, leaving the men mute in bewilderment.  
Trip was the first one to talk, "They took all the women?" he said in a whisper. Why would they do that?  
"They said they're liberating them from us..." Archer repeated what he'd heard, as shell-shocked as the other two.  
"But why from us?" Trip's mind was grasping at straws.  
That broke the spell. Archer's eyes narrowed with fury. He turned to Reed, "How did that happen?! I thought you were keeping an eye on them!"  
"We were!" Reed swallowed nervously, "We checked them for weapons when they came on board! I don't know how they did it." If he hadn't been bred to obey authority, he'd have pointed out none of this would have happened if a certain Captain had not invited a whole gaggle of aliens on board Enterprise without knowing anything about them or their proclivities.  
"Phlox talked about an external agent," Trip interjected.  
Malcolm shot him a grateful look. Archer was already halfway-out the door, converting his anger into action. They fell into a run behind him.

"Hmm, hmmm..." Phlox was checking them over with the mediscanner, "traces indeed... Captain, Commander Tucker — how did you sleep last night?"  
Archer was surprised at the question. "Well, very well. Actually, I thought I overdid it, it was such a heavy sleep. Perhaps you can tell us why you're asking?" Archer was not in the mood to play games.  
"Well, I told you there were traces of an external agent in my blood ," Phlox checked his mediscanner. "You show signs of the same compound, Zupixylonium, a most potent but completely odorless sedative. Very similar to one we've encountered it before, remember those aliens who were obsessed with gold? It's a slightly different chemical composition," Phlox added, "not that compatible with Vulcan or Denobulan physiology. Fortunately, I have the antidote." The doctor waved a hypo at the three officers.  
"And you're ok now?" Archer asked.  
"Perfectly fine," the doctor replied. "The compound is very well tolerated by Human physiology, the only effect is that they wake up refreshed from a long sleep," he added.  
"What about T'Pol?" Trip butted in, "Will she be ok? Even without the antidote?"  
Phlox considered for a while. "Barring an allergic reaction to the compound, she should be," he offered, "There will be a sizable headache but I expect it will eventually resolve itself."  
That didn't make Trip very comfortable. "How long?!"  
"No more than a few hours," Phlox replied.  
"We'll have caught up to them by then!" Archer exclaimed. He turned to Trip, "You've worked with T'Pol before, you can recalibrate the sensors to find the Aneukarian ship's traces. Requisition anyone you need from the science team. We need to find that ship. And Reed, work with him, Trip will also be needed in Engineering." It dawned on him that they were going to be hobbled by the absence of their Science Officer.  
"Aye, aye," Captain, the two men answered in unison.  
Archer turned back to Phlox, "Make a list of every female crew member that's missing, anything we need to know about them, medical health, everything!" He couldn't help reflect that was something that his First Officer would have done, if she hadn't been abducted by the Aneukarians.

Archer looked over the sixty-plus men assembled in the Shuttle Bay. Word had spread like wildfire and Phlox had confirmed it. The twenty-four female crew members were no longer on board.  
The sixty-two men looked small in the vastness of the shuttle bay. The men facing him were somber, some seemed angry. All were tense with anticipation. There was a low murmur as the men looked around, double-checking for themselves that there were no women in the room, exclaiming in low whispers. Archer acknowledged Dr. Phlox with a nod. There was a line open to the bridge for Travis and the skeleton crew.  
They still had no answer. Phlox was going through everything he could find on the Aneukarians and needed Reed to complete his findings with the monitoring tapes, Trip was recalibrating the sensors with the science team and needed Reed to pitch in while he covered Engineering, Reed was combing the aliens'quarters with a fine-tooth comb and needed Hoshi to translate the tapes. T'Pol would have helped Phlox while she recalibrated the sensors, Hess would have covered Engineering while Trip helped T'Pol... Everywhere, they were hurt by the absence of their crew members. With or without knowing it the Aneukarians had struck a massive blow.  
But Enterprise wouldn't go down. At that moment, all he knew was that aliens had left with part of his crew and he would get them back, come hell or high water.  
He looked over the assembly. "As you know, our guests, the Aneukarians," he pretty much spat the word, "have abducted all the female crew members aboard Enterprise." He let the information sink in. Now that the Captain had confirmed it, they all would believe it. He raised a hand to quell the noise that erupted in reaction to the announcement. "We do not know why." That point about being liberated made no sense to him and Archer wasn't going to bring it up. "All I can say is that no matter what, we're going to get them back!" Vigorous nods welcomed the assertion. "It's going to be challenging, we're going to be short-staffed, but I know all of you will gladly sacrifice your personal comfort to see our crewmates back on Enterprise, back home. They're our friends, our family. We'll do whatever it takes but we'll get them back — and we will get them back!" A couple of 'yeah's' punctuated that last tirade. "In the absence of our First Officer, Lieutenant Reed will cover ship's operations. Consult with him for your new schedule." Archer took a step back, signaling the end of the assembly.  
He turned to Trip. "I want to hit warp five the second we know which way to go!"  
"Aye, Captain!" Trip hurried out to Engineering. They stilll hadnt finished recalibrating the sensors, god, how he wished T'Pol was there, he would never again give her a hard time about the sciences. In any case, there wasn't much he could do anymore, he'd fed the teams his knowledge and experience, now they needed to figure out the scientific formulas to trace the Tarorat's emissions. Then he could helpd reprogram the sensors and they could lay in a course in pursuit. The discharge from the newly installed engines was massive, they would have no trouble following it.  
Ingrained military discipline was no match to the emotions roiling the room. People were grouping in two's and three's even as they lined up in front of Reed, feeding off each other's indignation. "We'll get them back!" several shouted as they streamed past Archer. He nodded in response. Yes, they would.  
Finally only Phlox remained in the shuttle bay. Archer turned to him, "What do you think?"  
The doctor bounced a couple of time on the balls of his feet. "I would keep an eye out on rising levels of aggression," he finally said. "This presents a complicated psychological picture. The men are upset, they will be dealing with feelings of failure, they failed to protect their fellow crew members, they'll be afraid for them, of failing to recover them, all of these emotions will be more easily expressed as anger. The presence of women would help defuse the aggressiveness, so we have somewhat of a catch-twenty-two situation."  
"Your job is to ensure the crew's physical and emotional well-being," Archer bit back.  
"Including that of the Captain," Phlox remarked pointedly, though his smile took some of the sting out of his words.  
"I'll be fine," Archer snapped, then noticed Phlox's more pronounced smile, realized he himself was being combative. "Well, keep an eye out on things," he finally said.  
"What about Starfleet?" Phlox asked. If Archer didn't let Starfleet know, it would be a sign he was feeling personally responsible for the disappearance of the women, that he was trying to fix it on his own, without letting his superiors know. That would be troublesome indeed.  
"I've alerted Starfleet." Archer replied distractedly. "They're trying to find anything they can on Aneukaria." Phlox nodded in approval.  
The intercom beeped and Archer went to toggle it. "Captain!" That was the voice of desperation. "Trip?" Archer slapped the wall with the flat of his hand. He already knew this wasn't going to be good. "Lay it on, Trip!"  
"Captain! The engines! They took the dilithium converter!" Archer wasn't sure what that was but knew that Trip would tell him. "Thank god you told me to be ready at a moment's notice. If we'd gone to warp straight away, the whole ship would've blown up!" Archer closed his eyes. Of course. The Aneukarians would want to get rid of the threat they presented.  
He balled his fists. The Aneukarians had taken his crew and threatened his ship. This was war.  
He turned back to Phlox. "When we were at dinner the first day they came over and they were talking to T'Pol, they mentioned which galaxy their world was in. Get Reed and go through the First Officer's tapes of that day." If nothing else, he knew she would have left a detailed record of the conversation. "Figure out which galaxy, tell Travis to lay in a course." No more waiting for the Tarorat's signature. Chances were both ships would take pretty similar courses, especially in the beginning. They'd adjust once they found the signature.  
He went back to the intercom, "Trip! The dilithium converter! How long?"  
"We have two of them, for harmonization convergence. I can take the other and put it through the replicator, but it'll take a couple of days." Trip explained. "The long pole in the tent is the replication. I can save half-a-day on the secondary chute install with a couple of extra pairs of hands. But that's all."  
"We don't have a couple of days! You have one hour for the install. Find a way to do it!" Archer barked back. Let Phlox worry that he was too aggressive. He needed his ship back and he needed to get on the Tarorat's tail. "Get volunteers, get anybody you can, but we need this stat!"  
xxx

_ **Chapter 4: Linnaeus - Act III** _

_ **Tarorat** _

T'Pol awakes from a dreamless sleep, feeling cold. She opens her eyes on surroundings that are both unfamiliar and uncomfortable. She tries pushing herself up but she can't move, her wrists are shackled to the wall behind her. She has no memory of falling asleep. Obviously she's been drugged. A concussive headache is starting to nestle behind her eyes. She shivers, unable to rub her arms.  
She's still in her unisuit, she shouldn't be shivering. Unless there is a metabolic issue. The migraine keeps intensifying, pointing to a metabolism issue. Cymbals are ringing in her head in tempo with her heartbeat. The noise is nausea-inducing. She looks around the room through eyes narrowed to avoid the glare of the lights, trying to get her bearings.  
There are other Enterprise crew members with her, another eight. She sees Hoshi Sato, Elizabeth Cutler, Dewika Kalmari, Mildred Quinones, Melody Kettle, Nancy Gordon, Lori Vik, And Florence Beausang. She knows their bio card by heart. There's is no pride in that, a Vulcan remembers everything relating to their work, and she's the First Officer of Enterprise.  
Still, there is nothing in their collective information that would explain why they are all here in this room. Hoshi and Cutler are asleep on each side of her. She can reach them if she stretches the chain to its full length.  
She starts with Ensign Sato. Hoshi stirs when she calls her name, but does not wake. T'Pol steels herself before reaching out to touch her, making sure she won't chance on stray thoughts or feelings the sleeping Human is harboring. She is limited to a gentle prodding of the fingers by the chain length but finally Hoshi seems to wake up a little, opening unfocused eyes.  
She stares dreamily at T'Pol then laughs, a sound as incongruous as it is unexplainable. "Sorry, I thought my brother told you," she tells a perplexed T'Pol before falling back asleep.  
T'Pol blinks. The pressure behind her eyes is relentless, she tries to push it away as she reaches out again. This time she is more successful, though Hoshi's first reaction seems to be frustration that her sleep is being disrupted. The ensign tries to push her away, cannot complete the gesture, realizes she is restrained, and wakes up fully in the following second.  
"What?!" She sits up on the bench, blinking at T'Pol, looking around the room, unable to make sense of what she sees.  
"It seems we have been abducted," T'Pol explains. She would usually expound but the sledgehammer in her skull makes it difficult. "Are you feeling all right, Ensign?" she simply asks.  
"Yes, I'm fine" Hoshi answers mechanically, still trying to process the situation.  
So the headache T'Pol is struggling with is a personal matter. "What do you remember from last night?" T'Pol continues. Perhaps there will be clues there.  
Hoshi blushes slightly, "Malc - Huh, I mean Lieutenant Reed and I were talking, and then I woke up. I must have slept really soundly, I didn't hear him .. We had a training session..." Her voice trails off as she becomes aware of the baldness of her lie. She stops, nervously biting her lip.  
T'Pol looks at the Ensign, waiting. It is a well-known fact that she has a relationship with Lieutenant Reed. They smell like each other when they come on the bridge in the morning.  
Hoshi realizes she's actually acknowledging the existence of her relationship with Malcolm when they've taken such pains to keep it under wraps. But then these are not usual times. "Oh, crap!" she exclaims, letting go, "he was spending the night with me. The thing is, I don't remember falling asleep. Actually we were just talking, I'm still in my uniform!"  
T'Pol nods, "I had a similar experience. I currently have a headache. All appearances point to the fact we were drugged very quickly. There is a high probability the parties responsible used the ventilation system."  
Hoshi shoots her a glance - 'high probability'? This must be the first time the Vulcan hasnt computed the odds to the fourth decimal point. She looks over at the sleeping Cutler, the other women. Now why were they taken and not others? The room is large enough to house three times their number.  
The hammering in T'Pol's head makes it impossible to focus. She blinks again, looks at Hoshi. "I need to initiate a light healing trance. Please let the others know about the situation when they awake. At this time, we do not know who has taken us or why, though all indications point to the Aneukarians." The probability some other alien life form abducted them is close to nil, but it exists.  
Hoshi starts waiting. T'Pol mentioned the needed healing trance was light, she will recover from whatever is flushing her skin green. In any case, her superior officer didn't ask for her accord, she just told her what was up and proceeded accordingly. Hopefully T'Pol will get better quickly.  
It's always a struggle for Hoshi to deal with the unexpected. She mentally goes through all the other times when she's faced adverse situations. Fortunately, it's not her first time down that rabbit hole, she was abducted by the Xindi. But this time she's not alone. There are six other crew members with her. She soon finds her inner resolve.  
xxx  
It is several hours before T'Pol emerges from her healing trance. At least Hoshi thinks it's been several hours. It certainly feels like it. The others have all awakened, to have her tell them they are prisoners on some alien ship hurtling to some unknown system.  
Not that she likes being the one having to tell them.  
Of all the times for T'Pol to have a headache... But she knows how they're going to feel, is able to find the words that help. After the shock recedes, they spend the time talking about everything kand nothing, shoring each other up. Anything to ward off the cold anxiety that is coiling and uncoiling inside them.  
T'Pol eyes snap open and Hoshi's heart skips a beat. Why can't Vulcans emerge from sleep gradually, so she could be prepared? "Someone is coming," T'Pol says.  
Hoshi looks at her through narrowed eyes. Can she actually hear it? How long has the Vulcan been awake, really? Has she been listening to their banter?  
Four people enter the room. All Aneukarians. Hoshi knew it! She recognizes the captain of the Tarorat, X-Eliantix. And X-Aljikax. The other two are guards.  
T'Pol eyes them coldly. "I demand you release us and return us to our ship."  
X-Aljikax is furious. The nerve of that alien, making demands. And a deviant, no less. "Silence, dog!" she barks, threatening her with the thin metal rod in her hands.  
T'Pol eyes her without expression. It is illogical to call anyone or anything by other than its proper name. It would be just as illogical to despise the Aneukarian for being illogical.  
But X-Eliantix shrugs it off, "I cannot release you or the others."  
"Others? There are others?" T'Pol asks.  
"You're not the ones we wanted but we couldn't tell you apart," X-Eliantix explains.  
"You think we'd spend time and energy to save deviants?" X-Aljikax adds, eyeing her with contempt.  
"Deviants? Save them from what?" T'Pol is trying to make sense of the information.  
"Save them from the men," X-Eliantix provides matter-of-factly.  
"Not something you'd know about," X-Aljikax sneers.  
That does little to shed light on the situation. T'Pol goes back to her first question. "Who are the others? I demand you release all of us."  
That infuriates X-Aljikax. That was a possible expected outcome. What was not expected was her reaction. "You do not make demands!" she snarls then strikes T'Pol with the thin rod.  
A stream of blue lightning shoots out of the device and envelops T'Pol in a web of sizzling energy. She screams and falls against the bench, her limbs jerking uncontrollably. The women watch in mute horror as she convulses with pain, the blue light flickering away slowly.  
X-Eliantix thins her lips. X-Aljikax is always too quick to anger. She turns to her "When she recovers, have her brought to my quarters." She leaves.  
X-Aljika smiles, "That will be my pleasure," she purrs. She walks over to T'Pol, lifts her with one hand. The Vulcan is limp, her head lolling as she tries to regain control of her limbs, which are still twitching sporadically as the discharge travels out of her system. X-Aljikax drops her back on the bench. "Take her," she orders the two guards. They unshackle her and drag her towards the door.  
As they get to the door, the women see T'Pol get to her feet, stumbling and unsecure, held upright by the firm grip of the guards.  
xxx  
It feels like being plunged in a vat of liquid fire, every nerve ending curling in agonizing pain. The pain is gone in a few seconds but the shock leaves her hardly able to breathe. She feels alien hands roughly free her from the wall, then she is brought upright. She still cannot move her legs, her jaw is clenched in a painful cramp. After a few seconds her body stars responding again.  
The walk down long corridors helps shake off any remaining stiffness. T'pol almost falls as X-Aljikax roughly shoves her into the room but catches herself. She throws a cold look back at the Aneukarian. It is not illogical to harbor resentment towards a tormentor. And Vulcans never forget.  
"Sit her down," X-Eliantix orders.  
X-Aljikax slams her into a contraption that looks like a chair then cuffs her to the leg of the table in front of her.  
"You can leave now," X-Eliantix tells X-Aljikax, "I want to interrogate her myself."  
"But, Captain," the other woman protests. "You can't be alone with an alien!"  
"An alien you've made sure is fully neutralized," X-Eliantix retorts. "I'll call you when it's time to bring her back."  
X-Aljikax leaves the room reluctantly and noisily. When they are alone X-Eliantix sits across form T'Pol. "I apologize for my second in command, she's quick-to anger."  
T'Pol nods. Her ears are still ringing from the neural discharge. "Who are the others?" she asks again, picking up where she left off.  
X-Eliantix is surprised. She thought the alien had understood, "The ones like us," she responds.  
"The women?"  
"Yes,"  
"You took all of the women?" T'Pol methodically pursues her inquiry.  
"We couldn't tell you apart," X-Eliantix explains again.  
"Tell us apart? What is different with us?"  
"You are deviants."  
Again, that odd label of deviant. Yet they're all women. All taken by the Aneukarians to be saved from the men. T'Pol suddenly intuits that the common element may be their relationship with men — Ensign Sato with Lieutenant Reed, Ensign Cutler with Dr. Phlox, herself with Trip. She doesnt know about the other six women but she would expect Ensign Sato to confirm they are in relationships. She notices that Corporal Cole is not included, which seems to indicate the relationship has to be current. She was not aware of any trouble between Ensign Mayweather and the corporal.  
She focuses back on the Aneukarian. "Deviants consort with men?" she asks for confirmation.  
"Yes!" X-Eliantix is relieved. So the alien does understand. It will make things easier.  
"Why did you abduct us? What are you planning to do with us?" That is the key question.  
"We need genetic material," she pauses slightly, "not from the deviants, from the others."  
"Genetic material?"  
X-Eliantix hesitates. The one in front of her is a deviant, doesn't deserve the information. On the other hand, she's an officer on the Human ship and that's the reason for their conversation.  
She explains. "Fifty year ago, a comet passed through Aneukaria's atmosphere, spewing radiation throughout our atmosphere. Our DNA was affected, so much so that most of our offspring die in infancy. Our entire species is condemned unless we find alternative sources of genetic material. The Tarorat was launched to that efffect." She stops there. There's no need to say more.  
"And the women are an alternative source of DNA," T'Pol finishes for her. "You did not take them to save them from the men," she points out.  
"They will realize they are free from the men. That's a benefit to them," X-Eliantix replies. "We are not monsters," she adds. T'Pol privately reflects that is a matter of opinion.  
"The relationship between men and women is not adversarial," T'Pol tries to correct the misunderstanding, "women do not need to be saved from the men. Or to be freed from them."  
"We studied your history from the ship's database," X-Eliantix counters, "men have been subjugating those like us for millenia!"  
"Women serve on Enterprise freely," T'Pol tries again, "men and women work together, collaborate openly, may have relationships." She looks for a reductive way to debunk the Aneukarian's misperception. "Vulcan's history is different. Do you presume I too need to be saved from men?" Confronted with X-Eliantix's silence, she goes on. "The crew is like a clan, a family. You separated family members. The abduction of the women is a crime under Federation laws. You must release all of us."  
X-Eliantix shakes her head. "Even if I believed you, we need the genetic material."  
"And if we provide genetic material, you will release us?" The question has been in T'Pol's mind for a while.  
X-Eliantix shakes her head again, "You're a deviant. We cannot use your genetic material, it has been polluted."  
The logical next step is obvious. "Since you cannot use our genetic material, you are free to release the deviants." Not that T'Pol expects it will be that simple.  
X-Eliantix is embarrassed. She wishes she didn't have to explain quite so clearly. "Your DNA is polluted. We cannot allow the contamination of others."  
It sounds ominous. Two eyebrows stand at attention. "Our DNA is polluted ... because of our relationships with men?" Scientific curiosity is the strongest. "How can involvement in a relationship with a male of the species compromise one's DNA?"  
"I will call our doctor, X-Igofox. She can explain more fully."  
xxx  
A few minutes later X-Igofox enters the room and X-Eliantix gets up in greeting. T'Pol doesn't move, she's still shackled to the table leg. She's refused the glass of water offered by X-Eliantix, even though the captain is unaware of the cultural meaning of the refusal on Vulcan and one could claim her refusal was illogical. She watches X-Igofox carefully, instructed by recent experience to be wary.  
In a few words X-Eliantix catches X-Igofox up on the conversation. The doctor nods, turns to T'Pol, "From what we could find in your databases, Aneukarians developed along a different evolutionary path. We used to have differentiated genders as well but the males were subsumed into the females, and only remain as vestigial genetic material. Aneukarian reproduction uses that genetic material as an endless reserve of recombination." She pauses. "At least it was endless until about fifty years ago."  
An eyebrow raises in comprehension, "You reproduce asexually..."  
X-Igofox nods in return, "Exactly. Every Aneukarian carries a reservoir of genetic material from a male. When we want to reproduce, one of our ovule splits in two and is recombined randomly with the reserve material to create a new individual. The reserve material is the one that was poisoned by radiation from the comet."  
"In that case wouldn't it be preferable to use genetic material from the males?" T'Pol has no qualms offering the advice, the men are far away on Enterprise.  
X-Igofox sighs. "Using men would pollute the reservoir with unfiltered genetic material." She looks down at the table, up at T'Pol, "Because of our biology, consorting with men does the same. The genetic material of deviants is tainted and cannot be used."  
"But our biology is not the same," T'Pol points out. If the deviants' material cannot be used the Aneukarians have no reason to keep them around.  
X-Igofox looks at her appraisingly. She's sorry the alien is a deviant. "It will be impossible to convince our people otherwise. There are those among us who consider that even Aneukarian deviants can be used, but conservatives like X-Aljikax will never allow that to happen."  
X-Eliantix nods in turn, "We are forbidden to use deviant genetic material, by law and custom."  
T'Pol has a long experience watching Captain Archer extoll the benefits of the Federation to newly encountered alien species. "Why don't you work with the Federation to find a solution? There are many worlds in the Federation, and many scientists. The Interspecies Medical Exchange could help your scientists find a solution and provide you with the genetic material you need."  
X-Eliantix shakes her head. "Aneukaria is running out of time." She pauses. "I cannot gamble the future of my world on the word of aliens."  
X-Igofox agrees, "The only hope for our civilization is to quickly extract and graft healthy root DNA. Your species is compatible. Your genome is different than ours but our geneticists have an expertise few other civilizations possess."  
"What will happen to the women after you extract the genetic material? And to the deviants?"  
X-Eliantix and X-Igofox exchange a glance. X-Eliantix stares straight at T'Pol, "The deviants will be disposed of in a purification ceremony on Aneukaria. Or they could be disposed of before. It depends how collaborative the women are."  
X-Igofox adds, "I need to run preliminary tests on the others to minimize prep time when we get to Aneukaria."  
"They must comply," X-Eliantix goes on. "You are their officer and they obey you. You will tell them to cooperate or the other deviants will be disposed of early."  
T'Pol understands the terms of the blackmail. "They will comply so long as the deviants are well treated," she replies.  
X-Eliantix scoffs. "You're not in a position to impose conditions. X-Aljikax is in charge of the deviants. The purification ceremony is important to her. I'm sure she'll keep you alive until we get to Aneukaria. That's all I can give you."  
Given the disposition of X-Eliantix's second in command, T'Pol cannot help but think this isn't much. "What happens to the others after you extract the genetic material?" she asks again.  
X-Eliantix blinks with pleasure. "The providers will be well taken care of. They will be honored and respected, to spend their lives in pleasant harmony. And they will have been saved from the men."  
"But not you or the other deviants," X-Igofox reminds her.  
As if that was necessary.  
xxx  
"So what will happen to us?" Hoshi is looking at T'Pol. On the other side, Elizabeth Cutler leans against her chains in her effort to listen.  
T'Pol has told them about the radiation poisoning, the genetic material, has not mentioned their fate.  
She has also told the other women about the terms of the deal, that their lives are in the balance. She didn't have to tell them to comply, they alll volunteered to do so. As Corporal Cole said, 'one for all and all for one.' T'Pol is unfamiliar with the source of the quote, but it sounds comfortingly similar to 'the need of the many'.  
T'Pol looks at Hoshi. Vulcans do not lie. Surak teaches that a life of integrity covers every aspect of one's behavior.  
The women in the room are hanging on to what she says next. Their anxiety is pressing on her shields. She has been First Officer on a Human starship long enough to know about an elusive element called morale that must be granted concession to. It seems this is one of those moments.  
"I will speak to Corporal Cole once a week so she knows we are fine. They will keep us prisoners on Aneukaria at first. Eventually we will be involved in a cultural initiative." Once they reach Aneukaria, if they haven't been able to escape, and chances are they won't be, she will let thiem know.  
Hoshi and Elizabeth lean back, relieved. She feels a rush of hope go through the room. Now they all can focus on the question of their escape.

 

xxx  
**_Chapter 5: Linnaeus - Act IV_** __ __

_ **Enterprise** _

Quincy turns around at the scream. That sounds like the chief engineer. He stands there, metronic sensor gauge in hand, staring in open-mouted surprise at what looks like Trip having a grand mal seizure.  
Several engineers are already running over to their commander. Quincy gets to him first, throws his tool to the side as he kneels by Trip whose eyes are revulsed in his head and limbs shaking as if by an invisible electric storm.  
"Commander Tucker!" he yells, "Trip!" The shaking has subsided and the dazed engineer is sitting up, helped along by several hands. He brings a hand to his head as if to ward off some unseen pressure.  
Phlox has arrived, rushes to him, scanner at the ready. The doctor frowns. "Sickbay!" he orders the two orderlies showing up with a gurney.  
Trip doesn't protest, spooked by what happened. He gets up and silently lays on it.  
xxx  
"I asked Captain Archer to come down and join us."  
Trip looks at Phlox with a degree of anxiety. What could be so wrong with him that Archer needs to be involved? Does it mean he can no longer function as chief engineer? Will he have to leave Starfleet, the Enterprise? And what about T'Pol?  
Phlox is uncharacteristically quiet, shuffling from own foot to the other, his entire stance somber. "What do you know about Vulcan bonds?" he finally asks the Engineer.  
"Huh, I," Trip rubs the back of his neck with his hand, "I guess-"  
"Do you have a bond with Commander T'Pol," Phlox cuts in, unwilling to enter into yet another round of obfuscation with the engineer.  
"I kind of do, yes," Trip admits, "but I'm Human, it's not that strong."  
"Not that strong, hmm. Can you 'connect' with her over long distances?" Phlox wishes he had even the remotest idea of what a bond feels like.  
Trip thinks back to the Constitution, the two of them have rarely if ever been far apart since then, "huh, yes?"  
Phlox looks at his feet for a second then at the engineer. "I am not that well versed in bonds but I understand that if the bond is suddenly interrupted, like by the demise of one of the bondmates, the resulting physiological shock can kill the other bondmate."  
Trip nods silently. He's not too sure about it but if the doctor says so... not that he understands what it has to do with him anyway.  
Phlox clears his throat, "There's nothing wrong with you. And I have no biological explanation for what happened." He paused, hesitant, "I'm afraid that it could be a sign the bond you have with T'Pol was suddenly ruptured." He pauses again. "As would happen if something happened to her."  
Seeing that Trip's still not catching on, Phlox exhales, "I'm so sorry, Trip, but the only explanation I can find is that T'Pol is dead."  
Trip is shaking his head from side to side, "No, that can't be." He looks imploringly at Phlox, "it can't be that! You have to find something else!"  
"Your levels of corticortisol are very elevated," Phlox gently replies, "you show signs of activity in regions of the brain that are usually dormant. Everything points to a psi trauma."  
"But I'm psi-deaf!" Trip exclaims.  
"Which is why the shock didn't kill you," Phlox goes on, "I've already informed Captain Archer, he's on his way. But he doesn't know about the bond." Phlox looks meaningfully at Trip, "I surmise you want to tell him yourself."  
xxx  
"I don't see another explanation," Phlox is apologetic but firm in his belief.  
"It doesn't mean anything," Archer replies, "and it certainly doesn't mean the others are gone, too. In any case, I don't want either of you to say another word of it to to the crew."  
Phlox nods forcefully, "I agree, Captain, the effect on morale would be quite deleterious."  
"She's not dead," Trip's shaking his head, refusing to entertain the notion. He'll never believe it, not until he sees it with his own eyes. And if that never happens he'll spend the rest of his life looking for her.  
Phlox looks at him with sorrow. Archer's scowling, not wanting to believe it but accepting the possibility. That's what a Captain does, rally the troops and keep going even when things go to hell in a hand basket. As they seem to have.  
xxx  
"Captain's log - Dr. Phlox and Lieutenant Reed were able to identify the general direction of the Aneukarian system based on the recordings from our first dinner. We've repaired the dilithium converter and are proceeding at warp five. It's only a matter of time before we find the radiation signature from the Tarorat. Once we do, we'll intercept, or worst case scenario follow them to Aneukaria. Morale is fair, though Dr. Phlox tells me the men are showing signs of stress. Lieutenant Reed has security personnel roaming throughout the ship to stop any fights at the first sign. Thankfully, the only people who know that perhaps the women are dead are myself and Commander Tucker, and neither of us believes that's the case. Computer, pause"  
Archer stops the recording. He's taken a huge gamble by going straight towards the Aneukarian system before they could find the Tarorat's signature. He's bedrock certain the Tarorat is following a similar route and that at some point they'll find the radiation trace of the alien ship. It has to be. He flips the recorder on again.  
"Computer, start again. I've asked Phlox and Lieutenant Reed to figure out why the Aneukarians took the women. If the Aneukarians need them, it could be they're still alive."  
As he talks, Archer is aware that there are twenty-plus Human women and one alien. The Aneukarians may have a use for the Human women only. Phlox could be right. He pushes the thought aside. As far as Trip's concerned, T'Pol's alive. She just has to be.  
Overall, he doesn't believe the aliens' statement that they wanted to liberate the women. It doesn't make sense. Women don't need to be liberated from men. Of course, there are tensions from time to time, but that's always been the case. Because women simply don't think the same way as men. Fortunately, everyone has come to realize that's a good thing, it's that difference in perspective that has enabled Earth to come out of the Eugenics War in more or less one piece.  
Archer hesitates, his finger on the release button. Should he add something about how they're being spread thin, how without the women everything is taking longer. He decides not to, it would make him see weak, like he's whining. Starfleet captains don't whine. They pull themselves up by their bootstraps. The brass won't care to hear that the Science team is short-staffed, that trying to find Aneukaria without T'Pol on board and while having to replicate the dilithium converter at the same time they need to figure out why the Aneukarians abducted the women is an impossible task. No, they'll only want to hear that he found a way to do it.  
He decides to end the log there. Phlox and Reed will have an answer soon enough. Right now his main worry is that they find the signature trace of the Tarorat. Archer swallows, bounces his water polo ball against the far wall. He knows he took quite a gamble by warping ahead to where they think Aneukaria is.  
He gets up abruptly. He'll be on the bridge, watching Travis and the science teams try to find trace of the alien ship. Not that he'll be of much help, but anything's better than sitting around waiting.  
xxx  
"Captain's Log - We're warping ahead towards the Aneukarian system. Commander Tucker and Lieutenant Reed have completed the sensor retrofit and the expanded range will help find the trace signature of the Tarorat. Based on the specs of the replacement engine, Commander Tucker is confident that the Tarorat can't exceed warp 3. We should catch up with it within the next couple of days."  
Archer gets up from his computer, leans over the desk, sighing. His log is much more optimistic than he is. He scratches at the day's beard, remembers that he forgot to shave. He's spending his entire days pacing from the bridge to his ready room and back, and still no sign of the Tarorat. He's starting to worry that perhaps he overshot on this one, perhaps their estimate of the Aneukarian system's location was off. He slaps his desk with the palm of his hand. They've gone over the details of the conversation a hundred times. The Aneukarian system can't be anywhere else. And the Tarorat must by force be in close proximity. There are only so many safe routes...  
The doors chime and open on Phlox. The doctor walks excitedly into the ready room. Archer blinks a couple of times, he finds it hard to focus. Phlox stops in his tracks, stares at him, "You need to sleep before you fall asleep on your feet."  
"My feet and I are perfectly fine, doctor," Archer bites back. Part of him realizes that didn't make sense. But the hell is he going to show any signs of weakness, even to Phlox.  
Phlox doesn't let that faze him, he's had his share of aggressive comments from the crew lately. He wishes that were not the case with the captain. Denobulan men would be much more relaxed about the whole thing. "Well, yes, I'm sure you are," he placates, "but when I leave you're going to sleep or I'll sedate you. Your choice," Somehow Phlox is still smiling as he delivers the ultimatum.  
Archer's too tired to give much of a rejoinder, "Fine, fine," he waves at the air. Actually, he's looking forward to laying down. Perhaps he'll even get a few minutes of shut-eye before the guilt startles him awake, the awful feeling that he made a mistake, that they should have waited to find the Tarorat's signature, that now they'll never find the ship. Or the women.  
Phlox is surprised at the quick concession but not one to look a gift horse in he mouth. He goes back to he reason he came, "I've got the answer!"  
"The answer to...?" Archer asks. There is more than one question on the Captain's mind.  
"Why the Aneukarians took the women!" Phlox announces, "it is that they need them!"  
Archer looks at him. Does that mean the women are safe? Phlox is already going on, "We've been going through their access to the ship's database, check what they were looking for. It was all about Human history, sociology, biology, there didn't seem to be a connecting thread." Archer nods, making a gesture with his hand for Phlox to get to the point. The doctor notices and obliges "So instead, we focused back on them. Reed's team collected all the alien DNA from their quarters."  
"And?" Archer doesn't have the patience for this.  
"We extracted enough DNA that it looks like we've got almost all the Aneukarians. What we found," Phlox pauses for emphasis, "is that half of their DNA is damaged, the exact same sequence. I cannot figure the cause, and when we correct for age differences, the damage seems to have happened at the same time!" he finishes. "It must have been some kind of external influence. Possibly an environmental disaster of planetary scale. But most importantly, the damage genomes are very similar to some that exist in Humans."  
"And?" Archer doesn't follow.  
Phlox is reminded that the Captain is not a man of science. He needs to articulate the obvious, "They need the women to repair their DNA."  
"Uh?"  
"They can't rely on normal evolution mechanisms," Phlox explains, "the same exact genetic sequence is damaged in all the Aneukarians, whatever their age. It means it came from single source. It would be physically impossible to create an entire society with a single genetic antecedent unless somehow they carried the source along with them. They need external DNA because they only have one sex."  
"They only have one sex?" that, Archer can understand, even if he can't.  
"Yes!"  
"So why did they take the women?" Archer's head is buzzing with too much information.  
"To repair the DNA!" Phlox thought he'd already explained it.  
"Not to liberate them?" Archer knew it, the women have no need to be liberated.  
"Well, as for that," Phlox is deep in thought, "since all the Aneukarians we met were women, I think we can presume that's the only sex on their planet. From that perspective, men are at best an inoffensive interference and at worst an aggressive parasite. They would have taken the women because that's what they're familiar with. They must have looked at men as something to be free from," he adds.  
Archer stares out the window, "What about T'Pol? Do the Aneukarians need her genetic material as well?"  
Phlox turns somber, "Her DNA is not the same as that of Humans, there are very few points of compatibility with Aneukarian DNA. I'm sorry, Captain, but I don't think so."  
Archer nods, "Let's not tell Trip, ok?"  
xxx  
Trip looks around their quarters. Everything's still as she left it. He can't bear to put her things away. If he did, he'd be accepting that she died, and darn if he's ever going to. Whatever happened, whatever Phlox said, he'll hang on to the hope she's still alive. And if it turns out she isn't, well then there'll be plenty of time to take care of things, right? In any case he's spending as little time as possible in his quarters. In their quarters. Until proven otherwise.  
He's been doubling-down on shifts, had a cot installed in his office in Engineering. Not that he's needed it, they're only a couple of hands short, not like Sciences who's missing their leader — he winces, it's always painful to think of her — but he doesn't want to go back to his quarters and face the fact she's not there. Like now. He quickly grabs a fresh uniform and exits. There are showers on the exercise deck, he'd rather use those, exercise as a way to blow off steam.  
He runs straight into Malcolm as he comes out. The two men eye each other silently, each gauging the other's grief. At least Malcolm doesnt know anything. Hoshi's still alive. Trip has a flash of resentment that he alone has to bear the pain.  
"You ok?" Malcolm asks,weighing the dark circles under his friend's eyes, the thinner set to his face.  
"Yeah, just had to get a change of clothes," Trip gestures at his room with the wad of clothes he's holding, realizes he's giving excuses for being in his own quarters. He shrugs. Malcolm will understand.  
"Yeah," the security man nods in turn. He understands only too well. At least Hoshi kept her own quarters, he doesn't have to hurt several times a day. "We'll find them!," he adds. This has become a rallying cry and a mantra among the crew.  
Trip eyes him in silence, "Yeah, we will," he mutters. But will there be anything for him to find? Phlox says T'Pol's dead. He doesn't feel like the bond's no longer there, but he doesn't trust what he feels, he's psi-deaf after all. Perhaps she's dead and the bond has been severed. He would need to feel the bond again to remember what it feels like and know for sure it's no longer there. Somehow, he thinks he would know if the bond has been broken, but he doesn't have a base of reference. He doesn't know anymore.  
xxx  
"Captain's Log - We're still on course to the Aneukarian system. Nothing new to report."  
Archer shuts off the recording harder than he needs to. 'Nothing new to report' — It's been ten days since the women were abducted and there's still no sign of the Tarorat. It looks like he went on a hunch that was as wild as it was misguided. But he's still convinced it was the right thing to do. Has to be. He can't afford to doubt himself.  
The Tarorat's route and theirs have got to intercept. They've got to. Now that they're getting closer, they've noticed a black hole close by, meaning there's only one safe quadrant for all ships. He feels a kindship with the explorers of old who went out on a limb because they believed there was something there. He believes too. Now if he could only be right...  
"Bridge to Captain," the intercom chimes.  
Archer jumps on it, too fast to make believe he's jaded about the findings, "Yes, Travis?"  
"We've got a trace, Captain!" the ensign tries a measured tone and fails miserably. Or is it the animated chatter in the background that gives him away?  
"On my way!" Funny thing to say when the bridge is exactly 4.5 meters away. Actually less, Archer is already there, looking over the science team's shoulder at the readings on the screen.  
He balls his hands whete nobody can see them and gives a silent prayer of thanks.  
Xxx  
"Captain's log - We've found the signature of the Tarorat. We've not been able to catch up with them. We'll track them all the way to Aneukaria if we have to."  
Archer stretches away from his desk. He'd notice how tired and achy he is if he weren't so overjoyed. After a manner of speaking. He's elated on the one hand, he would be even happier if he could tell how far behind the Tarorat they are. If T'Pol were there, she could tell them how many days since the Tarorat went by, they'd be able to establish a game plan. But none of the scientists or Reed or Trip can tell him how stale the engine signature is. His only choice is to follow.

xxx  
**_Chapter 6: Linnaeus - Act V_** __ __

_ **Enterprise** _

"Captain's log - It's been three weeks since the Aneukarians abducted the women. We have entered Aneukarian space but the signature traces from the Tarorat have dissipated. We are looking for the planet Aneukaria."  
Archer shuts off the com, narrowing his eyes at the main screen. There's no telling how long ago the Tarorat has gone by now. Trip said they were five days behind at least. That's not enough information.  
He looks over at the crewman manning the science station, trying to match name to face. Swarthy complexion, stocky build, "Specialist Sidhoum, can you extrapolate the Tarorat's trajectory based on the signature traces we've been following? Catalogue every Minshara-class planet along their course."  
"Aye, sir. Would you like bands at 5 percent confidence intervals?"  
Archer nods, "5 percent, yes,"  
T'Pol trained her people well. But if she were here, she'd have provided the estimated trajectory before he'd even thought of asking for it. And to think she might be dead — he stops the budding thought. Not productive.  
He goes back to the field of stars on the main screen, trying to locate Aneukaria by sheer force of will. If Phlox'sright and the aliens need the women for their DNA, they have plenty of time to find them. Per Phlox, it will take more than five days for the Aneukarians to get what they want.  
Still, something spurs him on to find Aneukaria sooner rather than later. He can't shake the feeling that time is of the essence.  
xxx  


_ **Tarorat** _

\- Storage Room  
The absence of noise rises T'Pol up from her half-sleep, half-meditation state. The deafening silence means that the Tarorat's engines have stopped. For three weeks now, the subtonal hum of the alien engines has been loudly reverberating through the detention area, at least loudly for a Vulcan.  
T'Pol looks up. The others have not noticed anything yet but they notice her looking up.  
"Something's happened?" asks Hoshi. Whenever someone comes by, T'Pol knows about it even before they arrive.  
"The engines are no longer operating. I believe we have arrived at Aneukaria."  
T'Pol looks around at the eight other women. A few days before, she's informed them of what awaits them on Aneukaria. She has not told them that the rest of the crewwomen are being treated like royalty, in individual quarters with free access to food and entertainment, that they while away the time as they wish, except for their restricted access to the rest of the ship.  
She's been meeting Corporal Cole every week under the watchful eyes of the Aneukarians. A few minutes each time, but long enough for them to exchange a flurry of information. The conversation the Aneukarians hear has no relation to the actual conversation being held, silent and hidden.  
The Aneukarians blink often and repeatedly and T'Pol has taken to blinking just as often and just as repeatedly — except in Morse code, in which Cole is proficient. The trivial exchanges of "is everything all right?' 'yes, it is' mask in-depth discussions about escape plans and the conditions of their imprisonment.  
The cell doors open suddenly on a quad of unknown Aneukarians in black jumpsuits who march in with the precision of a well-trained military unit, a comparison helped by the rifles in their hands. The aliens position themselves in front of each woman and the tallest guard walks to T'Pol, neural stick in hand. She quickly sits up on the bench, having no wish to encounter the stick again.  
"I am X-Distsax, captain of the guards," the tallest guard announces, "You are being removed to the Imperial Jail, to await execution."  
T'Pol glances over at Hoshi. Their situation has just taken a turn for the worse.  
xxx  
Tarorat - Crewmember Quarters  
Hesse looks up at the knock on the door, looks over at Ensign Cole. She was right, the engines have stopped, they've arrived. The two of them are in the living area of her office-sized cabin.  
Not much has come of their limited freedom. They've been working non-stop on escape plans while waiting for Enterprise to find them, but every plan fails because of the nine Starfleet women kept hostage in the storage area of the Tarorat, the oens they cLl deviants. They can't hope to get to them in time, beforethe Aneukarians kill them.  
Plus they're only fifteen against forty-two bigger and much stronger Aneukarians, and they've got no knowledge of the internal design of the vessel and no way to access the engine room and, say, blow up the engines. Trying to escape would be an exercise in futility.  
Instead, they've been doing what they could to soften the detention conditions of their crewmates. After the meetings between Cole and T'Pol, Hesse is always careful to keep it random so as not to awaken suspicions, she comes up with yet another slate of demands in exchange for the women's cooperation.  
Invariably, some of those demands have to do with how the deviants are treated. Invariably too, all the other demands are too outlandish to be easily granted. Hesse couples the requests with reminders that Humans are fragile and that refusing could lead to losing deviants along the way.  
That has the desired effect. X-Eliantix was right, X-Aljikax wants the deviants to live until they reache Aneukaria. So bit by bit, Hesse has been able to get them food, showers, and exercise, even some entertainment.  
She's now working on a secondary list that includes actual sleeping quarters and also make-up, that one just to throw the Aneukarians for a loop — she can just imagine the look on T'Pol's face if it's granted.  
But now they've arrived on Aneukaria and Hesse has no idea what to expect next. "Come in," she says in response to the repeated knocking. She exchanges a meaningful glance with Cole. Their captors, and they're so polite as to wait to be invited in.  
X-Eliantix and X-Aljikax step in, bow to the Human women. Behind their back, Cole rolls her eyes at Hess. This whole veneration thing's getting a little ridiculous.  
"We've arrived at Aneukaria," X-Eliantix announces. "Your care will now be overseen by the troops of her Excellency." "We came bade good-bye," X-Aljikax adds.  
Hess eyes them coldly, once again glad at T'Pol's acumen in choosing Cole as the go-between. That's given her the room she needs to act, "What about the deviants?" she asks.  
"The troops of her Excellency will assume their care," X-Aljikax replies, "until the purification ceremony." She's very pleased that she's not lost any of the deviants during the journey. There's going to be a ceremony the likes of which have never been seen before.  
Hesse's heart skips a bit. "We want to see them first," she declares. Perhaps they can stop this madness.  
X-Eliantix blinks several times, but X-Aljikax cuts her off before she can say anything. "That will not be possible," the Aneukarian replies, "you already had an interview earlier this week."  
Cole narrows her eyes at her. "And we will continue to have interviews every week. Or our agreement is over."  
She's threading on thin ice, the Aneukarians could easily call her bluff by threatening to kill any of them.  
But it seems the Aneukarians have gotten used to the state of affairs. "They're now under the care of the troops of her Excellency. There is nothing further we can do," X-Eliantix explains. X-Aljikax has the good grace to look almost embarrassed, " We have let them know about the weekly meetings but they are much stricter, they may not agree," she adds.  
Hesse thins her lips. "Nothing will happen until we can meet them in person," she states, aware there's no firm ground under her feet. Let the Aneukarians call her bluff.  
xxx  
 ** __** __ __

_ **Enterprise** _

"Captain's log - We have located Aneukaria and are approaching at quarter impulse. Lieutenant Reed and the security teams are analyzing the planet for any signs of a defense perimeter. Their findings will help decide our strategy."  
Aneukaria's a distant marble in space, only visible when the sensors are magnified to their full capacity. Archer's staring at the main screen, trying to tell if there's any kind of defense mechanism.  
He shuts off the recording. What's the saying again — 'one if by land and two if by sea' — there's no land or sea here. The only question's whether they arrive with all canons blazing or creep in under the cover of the night.  
Trip looks at Archer, "I say we rush them, grab the women and destroy the Tarorat along the way."  
"That would be my preferred plan," Archer nods back, "but we need to make sure we're not falling into a trap." He turns towards Reed, "Any sign of defenses?"  
The Englishman sighs thinly. As if the Captain hasn't asked this question twenty times already, "The science teams are still analyzing the long-range scans. They have a direct line to the bridge. They'll call as soon as they're done."  
Archer turns to Trip, "How are the engines?"  
"Fit as a fiddle, fully calibrated and ready to go."  
"And Engineering?"  
"We're a few hands short, especially with Hesse missing. It takes more than one person to replace her."  
Archer mulls it over for a few seconds, turns back to Reed, "Locate personnel from less-essential stations that can be moved to Engineering. Are we ok on weapons?"  
"I've lost my second-in-command and a couple of reliable personnel, just like Commander Tucker," Malcolm replies, "and that's just steady-state. If we're going to attack I need a half-dozen extra hands."  
Archer nods, "Same as with Trip. Just make sure the Weapons and Engineering are fully staffed."  
"Aye, sir." Malcolm bends over his console, busying himself with its readings. He can't let the Captain or Trip see that his eyes are suddenly moist. He's thinking about Hoshi, about never seeing her again. He'll write her a letter telling her how much she means to him.  
He takes a deep breath and straightens up. He's never been emotional, what's wrong with him? They have Aneukaria in their line of sight, they'll go in, knock a few heads, get the women back. No reason to be emotional.  
He stares at the main screen with a clenched jaw, hoping the science teams will report there's no defense perimeter. If it were up to him, he'd inflict painful losses on the Aneukarians just to teach them a lesson.  
xxx  
**__**

** _Aneukaria_ **

\- Imperial Jail  
The door opens in a metallic clang and a tray is pushed in, the door closed again.  
T'Pol slowly gets up from where she's been reclining against the wall, takes three steps towards the tray, then stops. From habit she knows that the chain that keeps her tied to the wall will not extend further. She kneels and stretches the remaining couple of feet until she can grab the edge of the tray and pull it to her, careful not to upset the jar of water.  
Once she has the victuals in hand, she splits the heavy pancake-like bread into nine equal parts, then grabs the plate and presents it in turn to each of the other eight prisoners. The jar of water is passed around next, each woman drinking shallowly before handing it to the next one. T'Pol declines her share, she won't need water until the next day.  
There's enough water for a second round. Hoshi's the last one in line. It's be her task to bring the empty plate and jar close to the door. T'Pol's the one in charge of sharing the food. That way everyone knows the portions are exactly equal.  
Hoshi places the tray next to the door then sits back against the wall, putting her head on her knees. Hunger is a permanent companion these days. She looks up at the window filtering light high above their heads. Dust particles ate dancing in the light, an incongruous spectacle in the dark jail.  
xxx  
 ** __** __ __

_ **Aneukaria** _

\- Palace  
"We've got to see them!" Hesse snaps, aware she isnt saying anything the twelve women in the room don't agree with.  
Since their arrival, they've found themselves celebrated, feted, the highest dignitaries of Aneukaria pressing for opportunities to be seen with them. They represent the hope of an entire world. Everyone's falling over themselves to ensure they'rewell taken care of while the Aneukarian geneticists scramble to develop efficient methods to recover their DNA.  
But they don't let it get to their head. Plus it personally sticks in Hesse's crow to find herself little more than a pampered pet, her entire value based on the fact she has two ovaries — which she darn well plans to keep to herself. But that'll be a different fight for a different day.  
Right now, they need to figure out how to keep in touch with T'Pol and the others. Their collaboration is no longer necessary, X-Igofox has gotten all the information she needed during their trip. Even if Enterprise comes to rescue them, and Hesse is confident it will, it's Archer they're talking about, and Trip, they'll go to the ends of the universe to get their crew and T'Pol back. Except that they may be too late.  
"How about a hunger strike?" Ortiz suggests.  
Cole shakes her head, "All they'll do is put tubes down our throats and force-feed us." They've learned that as a group the Aneukarians are coldly practical.  
"They would if we tried a hunger strike," Akhoun muses, "but what if it's deeper, like we're emotionally depressed because we can't see them?"  
"You mean all of us are depressed?" Hesse's hard put to think how they can pull that off.  
"Not all of us," Akhoun's quick to correct, "but maybe there's one among us that's more sensitive and so depressed that she refuses food or won't get up. The only way to make her better is for them to let us see T'Pol."  
"How's seeing T'Pol going to help with her depression?" Cole asks dismissively.  
Conversations erupt all around as the women consider the possibility.  
"Hold on," Hesse raises a hand, waiting for silence. She looks around at the women, "We know they form tight couples, who serve together." Cole makes a face, the serving together stuff's unacceptable under Starfleet policies. Hess waits for a couple of beats, "Like X-Eliantix and X-Igofox."  
There's a murmur around the room as the women nod their assent.  
"But we don't have couples like that," Cole grumbles. "I mean, they don't serve together as couples," she adds lest she be misunderstood.  
"Says who?" Hesse looks at her.  
Cole blinked, a habit she'ds caught from her meetings with T'Pol. But she stays silent. She doesn't know what to say.  
Hesse decides to let her off the hook, "Florence Beausang is my second-in-command," she starts, "and I don't know that I can keep functioning unless I have news from her."  
"Huh?!"  
Hesse sighes. Cole can be obtuse at times. But the others are already catching on. Several 'Yeah's' and 'That could work' sound around the room.  
It's Cole though who raises the one sticky point, "But what makes you think she'll say the same?"  
"T'Pol will figure it out when she hears that Beausang is my wife," Hesse confidently asserts. She's not as confident as she projects. Inwardly, she prays that their Commander will go along with the scheme and not start asking questions.  
xxx  
 ** __** __ __

_ **Aneukaria** _

\- Imperial Jail  
T'Pol is watching the dust particles as well. The light reflects on them in shades of gold. Gold the color of Trip's hair.  
She re-centers herself. She has been blocking the bond since the incident with the neural stick. The pain was so intense, so unexpected, that it overpowered all her defenses. There's a possibility Trip was impacted. Enterprise would have been close enough when it happened.  
But these days their only interaction with the outside world is the trays that are pushed through once a day, not enough for Human - or Vulcan - long-term survival. Enterprise may be far away. She can relax the block.  
Chances are that Enterprise will be too late for her and the other women in the room. She focused on the glowing dust particles as her guide to meditation.  
xxx  
 ** __** __ __

_ **Enterprise** _

Trip's keeping a careful eye on the isothermic chamber levels. Quincy is a good engineer but he's young, untested rather, in the sense he's never have things go to crap at the exact time his whole world relies on them.  
Everyone should go through a disastrous test flight scenario, he reflects. Actually, they should add that to the Academy's curriculum. What d'you do when there's nothing left to do? D'you just go for one last desperate bid, a special Hail Mary pass, like use your own ship as a baseball bat, or do you fold and wait for death to take over?  
He turns around, he's needed on the bridge.  
And steps straight into a white fog.  
His first reaction is one of controlled panic, trying to figure out where the white fog came from, whether anything is on fire, as if the desperate situation he was just thinking about happened, as if it has hust been waiting for his temporary inattention to sneak into Engineering.  
And then he realizes what it is. But it can't be. Phlox said she was dead and as much as he doesn't believe it, he still can't allow himself to trust that this is the white space.  
"T'Pol!" he calls, turning around in a circle, looking all around.  
She's there in a corner, sitting in her customary meditation position as if there's nothing to it. She raises a delicate eyebrow at his utterance and narrows her eyes slightly to let him know to lower the volume.  
"T'Pol!" he repeats as he falls on his knees at her side, afraid to reach out. It can't be. Can it. He stares at her, trying to commit every feature to memory, trying to compare every feature to the memory he has of her.  
"You're alive!" he can't believe it, "I thought you were dead!" he adds. It strikes him that out of the hundreds of mental conversations he's had with her since she disappeared, this is possibly the most inane. But he can't think of anything else to say.  
He can't tell her how he's been pretty much out of his mind ever since Phlox told him she was dead, how life has become tasteless and dull, it's too complex and too enormous for words. He thinks about touching her so she can feel the depth of his feelings and the intensity of his loss, but he realizes he can't touch her. He actually can't.  
She seems the slightest bit irritated at him, "Why would I be dead?"  
All of a sudden everything falls back in place in a glorious burst of normalcy. Count on her to kill his trite Human emotionalism with pragmatism. Trip laughs softly. He's never been happier. "It's a long story." There are more important subjects than to tell her how he's been poleaxed in Engineering, and Phlox's suggestion that perhaps she'd died. "Phlox thought perhaps you'd died."  
An eyebrow comments eloquently on the falsity of that presumption. But then she blinks, looks at him as if from far away, "He may be right, the Aneukarians are planning to kill us."  
"What?! What's going on? Where are you?"  
"We're on Aneukaria —"  
And abruptly the connection's lost, her last statement echoing throughout his mind 'we're on Aneukaria... on Aneukaria... Aneukaria..."  
He's back in Engineering, he's already running to the bridge. T'Pol's on Aneukaria and she's going to die soon.  
That's all he knows. That's all he needs to know.

xxx  
**_Chapter 7: Linnaeus - Act VI_** __ __

_ **Enterprise** _

"We're still too far away," Reed shook his head, "we can't see their defense system."  
"Perhaps they don't have one," Trip offered hopefully.  
Both Archer and Reed paused to look at him. "Considering how artfully they got the better of us, they have one." Archer wrily commented. Trip wanted to pace but the Captain's ready room was too small. Archer noticed, "We can't just rush in blindly, Trip," he placated.  
"But T'Pol said they were going to kill them!"  
"But they hadn't yet!" Archer snapped back. A few hours before, the chief engineer had barged in on the bridge out of breath to pull Archer aside that T'Pol was still alive, that he'd seen her. Archer's first reaction had been to drag him to Sickbay where Trip underwent a battery of tests but Phlox had been unable to find anything wrong with him. Trip kept insisting he'd seen T'Pol.  
And then Phlox had talked about some kind of bond. First he'd learned that two of his most senior commanding officers were in a relationship and now this. Part of Archer didn't believe it. He didn't quite understand this hocus pocus about Vulcan bonds.  
Still, there was the possibility that Trip was not simply suffering a mental breakdown. And if so, if Enterprise arrived too late they risked losing all the women. If they arrived too early, they risked losing Enterprise with all hands aboard. Not much of a choice, really.  
"How's morale and battle readiness?" he asked his two officers.  
Reed replied first "Morale will be improved once we have an attack plan."  
Trip nodded in agreement, "The men are tired, they've been pulling extended shifts for a while now, but they'll be ready in a jiffy. Anything to get the women back."  
Archer looked out at the window for a couple of beats. He turned to Reed, "We'll keep approaching at quarter impulse until you're done with the recognizance," before talking to Trip, "I want combat readiness reports from both of you."  
xxx  
**__**

** _Aneukaria_ **

\- Imperial Palace  
"What's wrong ?" The servant was flustered, looking at Hesse lying on the bed, sobbing loudly into a pillow.  
"She's missing her wife," Cole replied, "her companion." She hoped the Aneukarian would understand the term. She didn't know how Hesse managed to carry on so loudly but she was anxious not to prolong the pretense past the engineer's theatrical talents. "She's too depressed to eat," Cole added.  
The servant grew anxious, "She doesn't want to eat?!" she exclaimed.  
"She hasn't eaten since yesterday because she doesn't want to eat. She needs to see her mate," Cole replied  
"I'll go get the doctors!" The servant was close to panic. The aliens had to eat regularly or they would die. If one of the Exalted Ones came to die, it would cost her her life.  
Cole tried to stop her, "The doctors won't help. Her spirit is sick, not her body," but the servant was already out of the room.  
That was just as well. The plan was working.  
xxx  
 ** __** __ __

_ **Aneukaria** _

\- Imperial Jail  
"Are you lying?" X-Distsax leaned closer, bringing the neural stick within an inch of her face. T'Pol looked at it then calmly back at the guard. "Vulcans do not lie." Surak has said that preserving life was sacred, a duty above all others. Her confirmation that Ensign Beausang was Lieutenant Hesse's mate was a way to protect both women.  
She made sure not to blink, blinking would seem emotional to the Aneukarian. Their isolation had suddenly been interrupted by X-Distsax barging into the room and making a straight line for T'Pol, asking about Hesse and Beausang. T'Pol realized that this must be part of a plan, but not quickly enough, and that had made the guard suspicious.  
The other women in the cell were holding their breath, waiting for what would happen next. X-Distsax eyed T'Pol closely. She wasn't sure the alien was telling the truth but she hadn't blinked so it was hard to say. Those in charge wanted the Human to get better. The Human shouldn't have a deviant as partner, but these were aliens, they couldn't be expected to have a moral fiber. The Human would get better once she heard her partner was fine. And X-Distsax would make sure that's what she heard.  
She leaned in threateningly, "You'll meet with the Human Cole. "You'll let her know that her mate is doing well. If you don't, you'll taste the singing stick. Do you need a taste now to remind you?"  
"I do not," in saying that at least T'Pol was being true to Surak's teachings.  
X-Distsax laughed a raucous, unpleasant laugh, "Funny, everyone says that. You know what we do when we train to become guards?"  
"I do not know." The guard was making it easy to follow Surak's teachings.  
"They make us taste the stick every day for a month," X-Distsax leered, smiling, "to teach us to handle pain. You want to train to become a guard?"  
"I would prefer not to."  
X-Distsax laughed, "I was just kidding, deviants can't become guards! Ah!" She raised the neural stick up and for a second it looked like she would use it to make her point. T'Pol's gaze didn't waver. X-Distsax finally brought it back to its holster. "I'll come pick you up. Be ready."  
She left T'Pol silently reflecting that it was not like she had another option.  
xxx  
 ** __** __ __

_ **Aneukaria** _

\- Imperial Palace  
Cole was waiting impatiently for the envoy. "Where are they?!" she snapped at the servant fussily preparing the table for the meeting. The Aneukarians insisted there be a table, that T'Pol be handcuffed to it.  
"They're coming, Exalted One," the servant's voice was high-squeaked with fear, "please do not upset yourself."  
Cole eyed her with contempt. She despised the Aneukarian for treating her like she was some kind of divinity. And she was angry at herself for making her afraid. "I want to make sure they're coming," she grumbled as way of an excuse.  
The knock at the door prevented the servant from answering. Cole sat at the small table, eyeing the food and drinks on it. She'd negotiated that T'Pol would have one hand free, be able to eat. She would also be able to use that free hand for covert communication, but that was not for the Aneukarians to know.  
The doors opened and the captain of the guards walked in with the Commander. Cole repressed the exclamation that almost escaped her at the sight of the gaunt and pale woman. She blinked back tears of sorrow and frustration. At least on the Tarorat they were able to soften the brutal treatment of their crewmates.  
Her jaw set. They would do it again. They would have to proceed carefully lest the Aneukarians take it out on the women. Push too hard and they might get rid of one of them as a lesson. She shot a murderous look at X-Distsax but it went over the guard's head — Aneukarians expressed their emotions by blinking.  
"Commander T'Pol, it's good to see you. " Cole welcomed T'Pol, rapidly blinking 'are you ok'?'  
"Corporal Cole," T'Pol replied, while signing 'food and water'.  
Cole nodded. That would be the first demand they'd make to the Aneukarians.  
"Please share my meal," she replied, signing 'How are they treating you?'  
'We are kept alive,' T'Pol signed with her hand. To the Aneukarians monitoring the room, it only looked like she was reaching for food.  
Cole waited a couple of minutes for the Commander to eat before asking, "Lieutenant Hesse needs news of her wife, Ensign Beausang. She's really depressed about the separation."  
"Her wife also regrets the separation...," T'Pol replied. In light of the guard's threat, she added, "but she is doing well," while signaling, 'is DNA testing over?'  
Cole frowned in response. "Lieutenant Hesse wrote a poem for her mate. If I say it out loud, can you repeat it to her?" The Aneukarians would run the poem by their encryption department but find nothing. It would give them something to do. While she was repeating the few lines she had memorized, she silently let T'Pol know that the Aneukarians had completed their research, hormone treatments would start soon.  
T'Pol looked up sharply at that but did not say anything.  
The rest of the conversation went in the same way, the two of them speaking out loud about specific topics while covertly exchanging information on recent developments. A double knock at the door informed them that time was up. Silently thanking her lucky stars that the Aneukarians' reverence for the Exalted Ones prevented their uninvited intrusion, Cole quickly helped T'Pol fill the inner pockets of her jumpsuit with food. Any small amount would help.  
As X-Distsax escorted T'Pol over the threshold, Cole stopped her, "Lieutenant Hesse would still like to see her wife. When can that be arranged?"  
X-Distsax turned to look at Cole, seeming to find the question funny. "She'll see her soon enough," she replied with a chuckle. She left Cole staring at her retreating back, wondering what she meant by that.  
xxx  
 ** __** __ __

_ **Enterprise** _

Archer stared at the afternoon assembly, looking meaningfully over at Reed and Trip. He cleared his throat, letting his gaze roam over the men, "We are proceeding against Aneukaria as of 0800 tomorrow." The room exploded in shouts and cheers.  
He raised a hand to quell the ruckus that erupted. "We're three billion miles from the planet and it will take a couple of days before we get there," he glanced over at Reed, no need to share that how long it took hinged on when the chief of security finished the recognizance, "but I want everyone combat-ready as of 0800 tomorrow. Do whatever you need to rest and sharpen yourselves. Combat drills will start at 1000 sharp." He paused for emphasis. "We're bringing the women home!"  
A raucous cheer rose again to salute his speech. Several men picked up the refrain 'We're bringing the women home!' and pretty soon the meeting hall resonated with the rallying cry. Archer decided against asking the men to quiet it down. They needed the release, they'd spent too much time feeling like there was nothing they could do.  
He spotted Phlox eyeing him dubiously from across the room. If the doctor wanted to make an issue of it, he'd find the Captain ready for an argument. He turned on his heels to stare at Phlox as he approached.  
"Are you really planning to attack Aneukaria? An entire planet?" the doctor asked.  
That was not what he'd been expecting Phlox to say. The question took the edge off his prepared argument about how the men were not over-tired. "We're still figuring out their defense system, our strategy will hinge on it," he replied, then dropping his voice, "if they don't have one, we could get the women back without a fight but we'll fight if we have to."  
"That's my concern," the doctor cautioned, "the men are eager to engage, perhaps too much so." Seeing the Captain's nonplussed look, he went on, "they've been waiting for weeks and now they have the opportunity to do something to get the women back; the situation is ripe for overreacting." He eyed Archer meaningfully, "Let's remember that the goal of the operation is to bring the women back, not destroy Aneukarian civilization."  
That gave Archer pause. 'Tell that to Trip, if they've killed T'Pol,' was what he wanted to say. What he said instead was, "I'll make sure our reaction matches the harm done."  
Phlox eyed him critically, "That's what I'm afraid of. Remember that the Aneukarians were trying to save their civilization. They may have been acting out of ignorance, not of malice." He could see the Captain was resistant to the idea. "What you would do if you had to save Earth? Or rather what wouldn't you do?" Phlox knew he was hitting a sensitive spot, the Captain still carried the guilt of the Illyrian theft.  
Archer shook his head, started protesting, then fell quiet, evidently mulling things over.  
"I'll be in Sickbay," Phlox announced as he left. Granted it had been a low blow, but he'd achieved what he came to do.  
xxx  
**__**

** _Aneukaria_ **

\- Imperial Jail  
The women all looked up as the door opened. That was the second time in two days someone actually came into their cell.  
A foreboding squadron of black-clad guards walked in, X-Distsax at its head. She walked over to T'Pol, "You will come with us." T'Pol reflected that once again it was not like they had another option.  
The nine of them were unsteady on their feet from lack of use and hunger, even if the food that T'Pol had brought back'd helped. They found themselves being herded down corridors that were dark and damp, up endless flights of steps, before coming to immense decorated doors that hid a large freight elevator. The elevator started moving upward. When the doors opened again, they stepped out into light and warm hallways. From her meeting with Cole, T'Pol recognized the Imperial Palace . It was possible the Aneukarians had brought them to meet with Hesse and the other women.  
But the room they were brought to was empty if large, brightly lit, lined with recliners and soft couches. T'Pol looked around, taking in the luxurious accoutrements.  
Hoshi stared in awe-struck amazement at the long table lining a wall, plied full with food and drinks. She looked over at T'Pol, expecting a shared a sense of victory that the meeting between Cole and T'Pol had worked. But T'Pol stared back impassively and Hoshi turned instead to the others. Beausang was beaming. Nagamura had her hands covering her mouth as if to suppress shouts of happiness. They were all beaming. After days of misery, they were going to be warm, to be fed, and from the look of things, baths and showers would be theirs too.  
If Hoshi had been watching T'Pol from the beginning, she would have noted the skeptical eyebrow that went up when they entered the toom, the slight crease that momentarily lined the Vulcan's brow. Where Hoshi and the other women saw a feast, it looked suspiciously to T'Pol like a last meal.  
The squadron left except for X-Distsax. The doors opened again and X-Eliantix and X-Aljikax stepped in.  
T'Pol raised an eyebrow. Both women were wearing ceremonial tunics that were obviously a notch above the ones they had on the Tarorat. They must have been promoted. Most likely as a result of their securing the women of Enterprise for the good of Aneukaria.  
"Have you checked on the Exalted Ones?" X-Eliantix asked X-Distsax.  
"Everything is in order," the guard reported, saluting, before leaving in turn.  
Hoshi looked incredulously at X-Eliantix. The 'Exalted Ones'? T'Pol's lack of reaction confirmed her suspicions that the moniker referred to the other women. She was amused at the idea of Hesse as an Exalted One. She wished the Aneukarians would spend some time seeing her in Engineering, get their ideas debunked.  
X-Eliantix looked around at the room, taking in the food, the couches, and nodded approvingly, "Good, good. We want you to be refreshed for your big day."  
"Big day?" asked T'Pol.  
X-Aljikax turned to her, neural stick in hand and T'Pol remembered she should let the Aneukarians talk first. But X-Aljikax was too excited to take notice. "The cleansing ceremony is upon us. Everything is ready. It will be exceptional!" she said.  
"The cleansing ceremony?" T'Pol asked again, suspicious of the Aneukarians tendency to euphemize things, as in calling neural punishers 'singing sticks'.  
"We told you that you'd be disposed of in a purification ceremony on Aneukaria." X-Aljikax's sounded surprised, almost put-upon.  
X-Eliantix started explaining, looking apologetic, "Even though you're aliens, our laws are strict. X-Igofox tried to talk to the doctors here but we were not able to sway her preeminence, X-Irtanimox, or the Irivmeced, her counsel." She blinked. "I was almost accused of heresy."  
X-Aljikax cut her off, "The cleansing ceremony is a great honor, the demonstration of everything we hold dear. We haven't had one in hundreds of years. You will be remembered forever."  
"We'd rather be alive," T'Pol commented drily.  
X-Eliantix looked actually pained, "I'm afraid that's not possible," she replied.  
xxx  
 ** __** __ __

_ **Enterprise** _

Trip walked in into his quarters. For the first time in weeks he didn't feel torn just being there. He quickly took off his uniform, bunching it in a corner, enjoying being back home. He'd spend every minute before 0800 sleeping, thats what. He stretched back muscles made sore from stressing about T'Pol and the state of his engines, and promptly fell asleep.  
His sleep was uneven and fitful. Again and again he almost woke up, threading close to awareness before diving deep again. Finally he woke up enough to check the digits on the side of the clock. 0417 AM. He was exhausted. He still had a few hours before him and he turned to go back to sleep. To very soon swing his legs over the side of the bed instead, nature was calling. He didn't ask for lights, there was enough residual glow to find his way in the quarters he knew like the back of his hand.  
"I was waiting for you." The voice almost made him jump out of his skin, except it was T'Pol's. He turned to see where it was coming from and stepped straight into the white space. Surprise gave way to elation. So he was not crazy, the time before had not been a dream. She was alive.  
There was so much he needed to tell her, find out from her before the connection disappeared. "We're on our way to Aneukaria!" he exclaimed. "Do you know where you are on the surface?" he added.  
"The Imperial Jail," T'Pol replied, before correcting herself, "the Imperial Palace."  
There was something off with her. He couldn't put his finger on it. She seemed exhausted, as if meditation had been a struggle, her eyes underlined with dark shadows. And she was a lot thinner than he remembered. "Is everything ok?" he asked, then he quickly added, because there was no telling how long the white space would last, "Dr. Phlox said they need Human DNA — what about you, will you be okay?"  
She blinked. "I am not the only one at risk. The Aneukarians will not use genetic material from women who are in relationships with men..."  
"What?" what did she mean by that?  
She blinked again. "Women who are in relationships with men. They call them deviants. There are nine of us." Trip hid his surprise that there were nine relationships aboard Enterprise. He only knew of five, and Travis and Amanda had just broken up. Again.  
"So then why did they take you?" Trip rapid-fire asked, "That's good, right? That means they don't need you,"  
"Trip...", her voice trailed off before she could finish. The white space was gone.  
"Lights!" Trip called, looking all around at the cabin. But there was nothing there. What had she said? The 'Imperial Jail', no 'Palace'. He quickly grabbed a fresh uniform. Time to wake up the Captain.  
xxxm  
**__**

** _Aneukaria_ **

\- Imperial Palace  
T'Pol slowly came back to her surroundings, the contours of the white space coalescing into the large room around her. After spending most of the night trying to reach Trip, she hadn't had enough energy to maintain the meditative resonance.  
She had almost made contact several times before she realized the Aneukarian time cycle coincided with the one on Enterprise, he must be asleep. She had to wait in a high meditation state for another couple of hours, checking periodically to see if he was still in a REM sleep cycle. By the time he woke up, she could only maintain the connection for a few seconds.  
All she had been able to do was tell him where they were on Aneukaria. She didn't know how far away Enterprise was, if it was even possible for them to come back in time and rescue them. It might be too late when the ship arrived.  
When.  
Not if.  
She had to admit relief at the thought. The shift in probabilities was minute, but it was there.

xxx  
**_Chapter 8: Linnaeus - Act VII_** __ __

_ **Enterprise** _

Time: 0522  
Phox looked up from his medical journals, quickly checking that he hadn't been sleeping. The physician in him recognized it as a trauma-induced reaction to the recent shock of waking up to find that he'd been drugged and all the women abducted.  
He was relieved to find he'd not been asleep. That should have been comfort enough but a minute later, he was on his feet. It was too early but he'd go to the bridge, check that everything was okay. That too, he recognized as a reaction to having manned the ship all alone that time they crossed the nebula, when he'd been hallucinating the whole time. He had no interest in a repeat performance and wanted to make sure that he wasn't alone on Enterprise.  
This time, if T'Pol appeared and started talking to him, he'd know it was an hallucination. The thought stopped him in his steps, frowning slightly. That was also what happened to Trip. He would need to research it further, perhaps a comparative study on stress-related hallucinatory experiences in Denobulans and Humans, and their triggers. He nodded to himself, yes, that would be an interesting paper, and resumed his way to the bridge.  
He did a double-take upon exiting the turbolift. He'd expected the parse delta shift complement but the place was jumping instead with the full alpha shift and more. He approached the Captain's chair, looking around. "Is it 0800?" he asked pointedly.  
Archer threw him a sideways glance, went back to checking the padd a junior officer handed him, "We've had some news," he said with a head gesture towards Trip.  
Phlox turned to look at the engineer, currently in close consultation with Sidhoum, the two of them hunched over a magnified image of Aneukaria on the science console. The junior was talking to Trip, pointing out to something on the screen, and the engineer was nodding in response.  
Phlox turned back to Archer. "Hmm?" that was commentary enough.  
Archer sighed, glanced at Trip, then at Phlox, "Trip saw T'Pol again, this time she told him she was in the Imperial Palace."  
"And?" Phlox was quickly scanning his database of Human psychiatric knowledge. Could hallucinations be communicable? Was Archer on a wild goose chase after a figment of Trip's imagination?  
He seemed to read his thoughts, "We haven't changed a thing," he added, "only the science teams were recalled during the night, they're trying to locate the Imperial Palace."  
He motioned to Reed with his head. Phlox could see he was in a sidebar conversation with three other security men. "I asked Lieutenant Reed to join too, the findings may be useful to him."  
"Captain!" Both men turned to look at Sidhoum calling their attention to the screen. "There are areas of heightened population density," the scientist was pointing at the screen but Aneukaria was little more than a large dot with close-up views checkered all around it.  
"The Imperial Palace?" Phlox asked.  
"Centers of power are usually highly populated." the ensign said to Archer, "It could be one of these."  
Archer eyed the screen narrowly, "Keep going, Ensign, see if one of these could be it. Reed, how are we doing on the recognizance?"  
The chief of security shook his head, "Still nothing. The intercept mechanism could be closer to the planet."  
Archer's eyes were fixed on the screen. There were limits to how carefully he was willing to thread. "Travis," he called over to the helmsman, "increase speed, get us to within a billion miles," they still wouldn't be visible, "and then drop back to qjuarter impulse." He turned to Reed, "I want an answer before we get there."  
xxx  
**__**

** _Aneukaria_ **

Imperial Palace - Exalted Ones - 08:32 A.M.  
"I told you to leave me alone!"  
Hesse looked up from where she and Cole were figuring their next move, hurried over to where the sound was coming from. It was Akhoun, red in the face, yelling at a flustered servant. "What's going on?!" Hesse asked.  
Akhoun turned to face her, close to tears, "I don't want another goddam massage, I don't need to be pampered, with nothing worse to worry about than a split nail. And god knows how that could happen, the way they," she spat the word, "keep us wrapped in cotton. I'm not some prized possession! I'm a Starfleet officer! I want to be able to walk out, to go climb mountains, to run a marathon. And I do not want another massage!" the last was said within clenched teeth.  
The servant was obviously torn between competing imperatives. The words of the Exalted Ones must be obeyed but she had her orders. She blinked her disarray at Hesse.  
"Humans need freedom or we will be no good for Aneukaria," Hesse told her. That was as good a starting point as any. Akhoun's meltdown had been totally unexpected and yet it couldn't have come at a better time. "Humans don't thrive unless they're emotionally satisfied," she went on, "we don't want to be stuck in a room being fed and honored, we need to go around, to see our friends, our companions."  
She'd managed to bring it back to a request to see the deviants. She glanced over at Cole who'd just arrived on the scene. It was a gamble. She mentally crossed her fingers that it would work, that the Aneukarians would grant hem their wish.  
xxx  
 ** __** __ __

_ **Aneukaria** _

Imperial Palace - Preeminence Chambers - 10:23 A.M.  
"This cannot be!" X-Omedlox blinked twice in indignation, turning to the preeminence, her confident and sometime lover, She was almost as old as the preeminence, and much more staunchly conservative in her views. "We cannot be subject to their continued blackmail! I say we act now!" she went on.  
"They're merely asking to see their companions," X-Eliantix argued. She understood the tight bonds that could form on a ship. In the face of danger and the unknown, little did it matter whether the person next to you was a deviant.  
"They're deviants!" X-Omedlox roared, as if that word alone was all the explanation needed.  
"They're still their companions," X-Eliantix argued back.  
"The Exalted Ones could refuse to cooperate with us," X-Igofox added. X-Eliantix had called her for support as soon as X-Omedlox started arguing for killing the deviants right away. That had reopened the question of the deviants' fate and it gave her one more shot at having them spared.  
X-Eliantix was glad X-Aljikax was not with her, she would have been arguing the other side. She preferred not to dwell on the moral differences that animated them. That may be an issue that would split them asunder but she was not ready yet.  
"My point exactly," X-Omedlox retorted, "If we keep the deviants alive, the Exalted Ones will keep blackmailing us. We need to get rid of them now!"  
"But we have not finalized our research," X-Igofox shot back.  
X-Omedlox scoffed. "We already have what we need. We can keep the Exalted Ones alive whether they want to or not. We don't need the deviants." She said that last part with contempt, hinting it should have been done on the Tarorat.  
"That's a limited vision," X-Igofox protested. "We could use these alien deviants, there's nothing wrong with their genome."  
"Deviants are polluted!" X-Ynehekid almost shouted back. She was the leading medical advisor to the preeminence and an ally of X-Omedlox. Her word was unfortunately weighty.  
"But they're aliens!" X-Eliantix exclaimed in turn. She implored X-Irtanimox, "Their physiology's not the same."  
X-Omedlox also turned to X-Itranimox, "We already decided to dispose of the deviants. Are we going back on that? The only question before us should be that of timing."  
"These are aliens, not subject to our rules," X-Eliantix argued again.  
"Sparing them would fly against the face of everything we hold true!" X-Omedlox raised her voice, "And dear!"  
"The people will understand!" X-Eliantix shouted back.  
"Stop!" X-Irtanimox raised a gnarled and weathered hand, "We are not revisiting the matter." The revered elder turned to X-Eliantix, "It is not a question of them being aliens, itt is a question of our civilization."  
She paused. "There is no time to soften our beliefs. I hear what you say and if times were different perhaps... But our world is dying, people need something to anchor onto. We haven't had a cleansing ceremony in hundreds of years, this will mark our shared values, provide hope for the future."  
"Can't we wait for our future to be assured before we execute the deviants?" X-Eliantix asked, her strategic instincts on alert.  
But X-Irtanimox turned to General X-Crafonaox without answering her, "Is the sacred space ready?"  
The general bowed. "Everything is ready for the ceremony, your preeminence."  
X-Irtonimox blinked brusquely twice. "Then let it be. We will proceed tonight. From morning to night, as it was written. Thus I have spoken." With that the revered elder turned around and retreated to her private chambers with the unsteady gait of age.  
X-Omedlox and X-Eliantix stood staring each other down unblinkingly. Finally X-Omedlox turned on her heel and left.  
X-Eliantix looked at X-Igofox with sorrow. The aliens had saved them and even though they were deviants, she felt bad about their fate.  
xxx  
 ** __** __ __

_ **Enterprise** _

Time: 1121  
"The moons themselves turned out to be defense outposts, here, here and there," Reed pointed at the screen, "each with an armada of spaceships hidden behind it, ready for anything that comes through."  
Trip leaned in closer, checking the relative position of the asteroids. Archer was scowling at the screen. He'd called for a full stop, didn't like it. On the other hand he'd learned not to rush ahead unprepared. "Can they see us?"  
Reed shook his head, "Not at this distance. It would be difficult to tell us from a random stellar phenomenon."  
"How many of these things d'you say there are?" Trip's accent was thick, a sign of stress.  
"Three so far. We're still looking for others."  
Archer was frowning at the screen. "Find out everything you can about them, number, personnel, weapons, what type of toothpaste they use, everything!"  
"We need to get through!" Trip interjected, "they're going to kill the women!"  
Archer paused, seemed to consider. "How long to get the data?" he asked Malcolm.  
"A couple of hours."  
The Captain got to his feet, "All key bridge personnel in the command center at 1400. I'll ask Phlox to join us."  
xxx  
**__**

** _Aneukaria_ **

\- 2:06 P.M.  
The crowd was hollering its fury, angry fists waving in the air, angry faces frothing at the mouth. Projectiles of all sorts splatterred against the force field surrounding the cart, some with the repulsive squeashiness of rotting matter. The stench still came through, gagging the figures tied to poles on the cart. The guards hanging on to the railing of the slow vehicle would sometimes lean into the crowd to push back an overly aggressive onlooker.  
Something whizzed right by her ear before hitting the forcefield and Hoshi startled. The mob greeted her reaction with loud jeers and catcalls. She hardly heard them, wondering instead why it was she wasn't scared even though she was being slowly carted to her death.  
Perhaps it all had happened too fast. One minute they were lounging in their new rooms in the Imperial Palace, the next minute X-Distsax, X-Aljikax and some Aneukarian who looked about ready to keel over from age came to let them know the cleansing ceremony was happening now.  
There'd be no time to process the news before they found themselves tied to that stupid cart, inching their way to god knows where except it would be unpleasant. She'd had no time to think. And when she did, all she could think about was that Enterprise would come. It just didn't feel real. Had never really felt real.  
She looked around at the others on the cart. Beausang was pale as a ghost, had been pale since the announcement, but not a word escaped her lips. Nagamura was crying non-stop, silent tears streaming down her face, it seemed she would never stop. Browardsky had completely given over to the panic invading her, shaking her head and saying 'no' over and over. Cutler looked immensely sad, and T'Pol was impassive, as always.  
Hoshi envied T'Pol her preternatural calm. She wondered how the noise and ambient hostility were impacting her. Vulcans were sensitive to the feelings of those around them. The thought dawned on her that may be why T'Pol had helped her that time on the disabled Klingon ship. She must have been radiating anxiety miles around, it would have been tough for a Vulcan.  
Come to think of it, she'd never again felt really scared since that time. Perhaps that's why she wasn't getting crazy anxious even now. At least so long as she didn't think of Malcolm. If she thought of him, she would go to pieces. She couldn't afford it. She went back to watching T'Pol instead.  
xxx  
 ** __** __ __

_ **Enterprise** _

\- Time: 1416  
"The idea is we swoop in, bomb a couple of places, and leave with the women," Trip stated. Everyone in the command room nodded.  
"We could simply ask for the women back," Phlox chimed in, increasingly uncomfortable with the bellicose tone of the meeting. "Humans have a saying, speak softly and carry a big stick'," he added, "American baseball, I believe."  
Archer shook his head, "Not a sport, politics, but that doesn't apply here. They're the ones who attacked us." He turned to Trip, "How long would it take to transport them?"  
"A little less than twenty minutes."  
"After we get through the defense system," Malcolm pointed out. "Once we pass by a moon all its ships will come out to attack. And there's the other moons as back-up."  
"How long for the other moons' ships to join the fun?" Archer asked.  
"The alert must be out to all outposts at once. The distances are too short for warp. Twelve minutes or so, give or take a couple," Malcolm replied.  
"If we override all the safety routines, we could complete the transport in twelve minutes," Trip added, "it could work."  
"We'll be fighting and trying to transport the women at the same time. That's splitting our forces," Malcolm was not sanguine about the idea.  
"Trip can man Engineering from the transport room," Archer said, "once we've dealt with the first outpost." He looked around at the room, "All thoughts are welcome."  
"We could rush them," Travis said softly in the deepening silence.  
Archer looked up, "Rush them?"  
"Something my dad taught me," the helmsman replied. "Lieutenant Reed's comments about warp made me think of it. It's from American football."  
"Another Terran sport?" Phlox asked. But Archer stopped him with a raised hand. "Explain." Trip shot him a glance. That's what T'Pol would have said. It made him miss her more.  
The pilot leaned over the screen, pointing, "If we go to warp here and come out here, at the apex of their atmosphere, we'll be right behind the moon. We can take the ships out as they come out."  
"That's an incredibly dangerous maneuver!" Trip protested.  
"That will give us the time we need," Archer cut in, "and the element of surprise." He turned to Travis, "Think you can do it?"  
"Aye, sir!"  
"American football, hmm?" Phlox had no idea what that was but he looked at Travis appraisingly. The helmsman shrugged humbly.  
Archer turned to Reed, "We'll have to come out all guns blazing."  
"Not an issue, Captain!" Malcolm almost snapped his heels.  
"We still need to find where the women are." Archer looked at Trip, "Anything you can tell us?"  
They all turned to the engineer in surprise. Trip could feel himself blush. Jon misunderstood the bond. It wasn't like T'Pol and him were physically connected, like he could tell where she was. He shook his head ruefully, "We've got a couple of potential sites. We're also monitoring planetary transmissions but there's a lag. I told Sidhoum to join us the moment they have anything."  
xxx  
**__**

** _Aneukaria_ **

\- 2:28 P.M.  
Unaware of Hoshi's interest, T'Pol was busy estimating the time left to them. They had been following an outward spiral from the Imperial Palace to what she expected was the site of the cleansing ceremony. Based on the speed of the convoy and the size of the growing crowd following them, ithe site was close. It wouldn't take much longer. The afternoon was already advanced.  
The buzz of aircraft and the running commentary that wafted above the crowd let her know the media was involved. As the parade marched on, the mob was growing increasingly hostile. The features of the Aneukarians pressed against the cart, or as close to it as the guards allowed, were distorted by hatred. Left alone to its own devices, the mob would have torn them to pieces. It was nervous, excited. Its hot hatred was something thick, almost physical, that painfully pressed on her from all sides. She kept staring ahead, focused on maintaining her shields against the raging emotions.  
And then the music started, a thumping of Aneukarian instruments that was particularly irritating to the Vulcan ear. T'Pol retreated deeper win her mind, trying to isolate herself from the deafening noise, the hostile crowd and the alien stenches. She found a welcome space at the center. The outside cacophony quieted down, she was able to catch her breath.  
"Where'd'you disappear to?!"  
She almost startled at the voice. What was Trip doing here? She was not event meditating. She realized that in trying to escape the unpleasantness she had unwittingly achieved resonance. There was no time to answer his question. She urgently needed to let him know. "They're taking us to be executed," she quickly said.  
"What?! Where are you..." Trip took a deep breath, grabbed the bridge of his nose, "Forget about that! How much time?!"  
"Based on extrapolation —  
"T'Pol!" Trip snapped. This was not the time to go Vulcan on him.  
"We're almost at the appointed place —," T'Pol stopped herself as she saw Trip frown. "I do not know," she finally said.  
"Where are you?! We're almost at Aneukaria!"  
She looked around, "An area wide enough to contain tens of thousands of Aneukarians." She looked in the distance, "We're approaching a structure large enough to be observed from space. I estimate that must be the killing site."  
"Listen, we're almost at Aneukaria!" Trip repeated, "We can be there in minutes! Try to delay—"  
She didn't know what he was going to say. There was a sudden commotion and she opened her eyes into the snarling face of X-Distsax. "Another move like that and you'll taste the singing stick!" The Aneukarian was angry.  
There was a pain in her side where the guard had struck. T'Pol didn't answer. The wrong answer could easily trigger the sadist guard's rage. She looked around at the crowd. It had grown ten-fold, slowly funneling the cart towards the structure. There was no doubt this was the killing site.  
There was no way to tell how long the cleaning ceremony would take once they were inside. Trip had said Enterprise could be there in minutes, with customary Human imprecision. There were sixty minutes in an hour. There had been no time to qualify the information.  
When the odds could not be calculated, hope was an appropriate response. She hoped Enterprise would show up in time. In the meantime, she needed to think of ways to delay the proceedings.  
xxx  
 ** __** __ __

_ **Enterprise** _

Time: 1452  
"Are we keeping you up, Commander?" Archer snapped. The engineer was staring slack-jawed into space. Trip startled as if waking up from a dream, blinked around the room, finally settling on Archer's face, "We must act now! There's no time! The Aneukarians are about to execute them !"  
"What?!" Archer cried.  
"They're on their way to being executed! We need to get there ASAP!"  
Malcolm was looking slack-jawed at Trip. Travis was gaping at the engineer also. "I can't explain how I know but I know!" Trip exclaimed.  
Archer exhaled between clenched teeth. "How much time?"  
"I don't know! She didn't know! But they were being brought to the execution site!"  
"Were they alone?" Phlox asked.  
"No, there were tens of thousands of people, T'Pol said they were on their way but she didn't know how long it would take. They weren't there yet," he stopped himself before it could sound any crazier.  
"We have to assume there'll be some kind of ceremony," Phlox told Archer, "these take more than a few minutes."  
"Captain!" Sidhoum entered the room at a run, gasping between breaths, "... a transmission... we have the women!"  
"Everyone to the bridge!" Archer shouted. They all left a a run.  
xxx  


xxx  
**_Chapter 9: Linnaeus - Act VIII_** __ __

_ **Enterprise** _

The silence on the bridge can be cut with a knife. They've just watched the nine women on the cart slowly making their way through a rabid crowd. Pugin is focused on his console, nervously comments, "There's a lag because of the distance; these images were from a couple of hours ago."  
"When will they reach the structure?" Archer asks. That must be the execution site Trip was talking about.  
"Based on their rate of progress, they should be getting there about now."  
There's a quick intake of breath from Trip and Reed. Archer shoots them a look. There'll be words when all this is over. He exhales forcefully, "So we have no idea what's happening right now..."  
"Given the setting, there will be some ceremony, it could be lengthy," Phlox offers in the dawning silence. He hasn't left the bridge yet.  
"And it could be not," Archer turns to Sidhoum. "What about the other women?"  
The scientist looks embarrassed, "We're still translating the feed. Some of the concepts are not rendered by the UT. But we expect it will mention them, that's only logical." Trip shoots him a sharp glance. He wishes people would stop using T'Pol's expressions, even if they're part of the science team. Reed frowns. Hoshi would've had the entire thing translated already. She was fluent before the Aneukarians even left the ship. Except that they took her with them.  
Archer turns to Trip, "Can we still beam all of them in twelve minutes?"  
"It depends on their exact coordinates," the engineer is frowning.  
That's enough for Archer, "Sidhoum, keep monitoring, find out where they are. Travis, get ready for the jump, Trip, Reed, in my ready room, now!"  
"Aye, sir!" they answer as one.  
xxx  
**__**

** _Aneukaria_ **

  
Hesse looks down at the tens of thousands of aliens pressed inside the huge stadium. There's several times as many outside, their attention riveted to enormous screens set at regular intervals for miles around. She's seen them over the pilot's shoulder a few moments before they landed.  
In light of how fast their request to go outside has been granted, she expects they'll soon be allowed to see the other women. They're in a cordoned off section of the stadium, under heavy guard. Premium seats based on their plunging view on the large stone stage that dominates one end of the arena. It's well worn and well weathered, lavishly decorated with carvings and sculptures that she can't quite figure out, obviously a place of great importance. A complex contraption stands close to the center of a stage, that looks like a cross between a crane and a giant easel.  
She looks around at the other women. They're busy scanning the crowd and the stadium, also trying to figure out what's going on.  
Cole walks to her side, pointing to the machine with her chin, "Any idea what's that?"  
Hesse shakes her head, "I've never seen anything like it. Perhaps part of a game, or a show." There's a sense of excitement in the arena. Obviously an important event is about to happen.  
Cole frowns, "I don't trust them."  
Hesse privately rolls her eyes. Cole's always suspicious, part of the job, she guesses. A clamor from the farthest point of the stadium calls her attention. A wave of screams and shouts spreads through the crowd until it reaches the rows directly below them. The aliens there start cheering, except it's not a cheer, more an angry sea of fists and shouts. A float with small dark Aneukarians has entered the stadium. She's never seen the likes of them before, they must be a different race. The float is parting the crowd slowly, its way painstakingly cleared by a squadron of armed guards. Hesse startles. That's not small dark Aneukarians on it! She's caught sight of the blue of Starfleet uniforms. It's the other women!  
There's an expression of surprise from Cole, a gasp from someone in the back. That's confirmation enough. Hesse looks at the stage and the machine, dread suddenly coiling inside her. Is that for them?  
She scans rhe crowd for any more information. A few rows up she sees X-Eliantix and X-Aljikax making their way into another reserved area. They'll know what's going on! But she finds her way barred by a guard. "Let me go, I need to speak with them!" she snaps at her.  
"Apologies, Exalted One," the guard answers, "you must stay where you are."  
"Have them come to me, then!" Hesse tries to sound imperious. She looks up to where X-Eliantix is, hoping to catch her eye. At the same time she's keeping an eye on the cart inching its way through the clamoring crowd, now seeming to go too fast by half.  
She looks up at the sky, wondering if Enterprise is there. Hoping it is.  
xxx  
 ** __** __ __

_ **Enterprise** _

"Engineering's ready." Trip's back at his console. They've revised the strategy, all that's left is to go through the steps.  
"Dr. Phlox," Archer says, his eyes on the main screen. The doctor understands the intimation and leaves the bridge. Archer looks around. "Ready, Ensign Mayweather?"  
Travis put his hands on the helm, turns slighlty so he's visible to the Captain, "Aye, Sir."  
"Captain!" Sidhoum suddenly interrupts.  
"Yes?"  
"The planet, there's not enough life signs!"  
"What do you mean?" Sidhoum has to learn to give more details.  
"Variations in the spectrum algorithm. The populated zones are not uniformly reflective, there's up to a 70% variance within the zones themselves!"  
On the other hand, perhaps he doesn't need to. Archer turns to Reed, "What d'you make of it?"  
The securiry man's frowning, eyes on the screen. "That may work in our favor. If they don't have enough people, the outposts may not be fully manned."  
"Well, we'll find out, won't we?" Archer's jaw's set. He turns to Trip, "Engineering's ready to proceed?"  
"Waiting for the word, Captain."  
"Very well. Ensign Mayweather, take it away!"  
"Aye, Captain. Warp Three!" Travis calls out.  
"Warp Three!" Trip shouts back.  
The stars turn into thin pencils of light rushing at the ship. Everyone on the bridge stops what they were doing, watches.  
"Two minutes to Aneukaria," Travis says calmly. He braces himself against the helm, he needs to be one with the ship. The trick's to come out of warp at exactly the right point and Enterprise will be within shooting distance of the first outpost. One second too long, one thousand meters off and they won't have the energy to stabilize the orbit, will land inside the atmosphere, to crash and burn. One second too short and they'll end in a fiery explosion with the outpost. That'd be somewhat counterproductive.  
Travis is staring at the relative field indicator, mentally adjusting for the gravitational drag of the planet and the other outposts. The seconds tick by. He suddenly leans over the helm, Yes, that's it, "Engineering! Shut off engines!"  
"Got it!" Trip shouts. The engines stops.  
The compressed space unfolds, pushing Enterprise into position. The ship hangs in space. "Coordinates 75,48,25" the computer calls. Travis lets go of the helm, slumping in his chair with a sigh. Eighty-seven yards off. That's as close to a bull's eye as you can get. Right by the moon outpost.  
Straight in their line of sight...  
"Engineering, we need power! Battle stations!" Archer shouts. Everyone tenses, waiting for the attack. But the defense outpost just sits there in eerie stillness, no transmission, no sign of movement.  
Finally Reed talks, "Looks like nobody's home."  
Archer pivots in his seat, "Perhaps they haven't seen us?"  
Malcolm gives a small smile, "We're hard to miss. Sensors show no biosigns on asteroid." He looks again, "No biosigns either in the spaceport."  
"What about the other outposts?"  
Malcolm shakes his head. "Same, no sign of life."  
Archer turns back to the screen. What Phlox has said comes back to his mind. The Aneukarians are dying. They didn't have a choice. Still, they took his crew members. He can't forget that. He can't afford to.  
"I've located the women!" Sidhoum suddenly announces, "Two groups of Human biosigns, one Vulcan."  
"Lock in the coord—" "We've got another vidstream!" Pugin cuts in.  
"On the screen!" Archer bellows.  
xxx  
**__**

** _Aneukaria_ **

  
The cart has finally arrived and the deviants have been brought up to the stage, the guards shoving and pushing back the rabid onlookers who try to tear them apart.  
Hesse's had her heart in her throat for a while now. The sight of her friends and comrades under heavy guard doesn't help. They look thin, so small next to the apparatus on the stage. The crowd is frenzied, she fears they'll overcome the security cordon and rush the stage.  
And then an eerie silence settles on the arena. She looks around, wondering. The angry faces are bowed in reverential silence. A grey Aneukarian, older looking than Methuselah himself, toddles onto the stage, a large retinue of Anakeurian dignitaries in her wake, including X-Eliantix and X-Aljikax. Hesse swears under her breath.  
The old Aneukarian walks to the center of the stage and raises her hands high up in the air, imitated by the thousands of aliens in the arena and beyond. When she lowers them, she starts chanting, a low, guttural sound. The crowd responds with the same chant. Hesse figures this must be the preeminence. The ceremony has started. The preeminence starts alternatively talking and chanting for what seems a long time. Finally, two dignitaries silently approach her to hand with great care something that look like an inverted spoon. She takes it with both hands and raises it high above her head. Hesse tenses up.  
There's a commotion on the left of the stage and a large animal is dragged in, bucking and fighting every step of the way. Its handlers struggle to secure it to the machine, in what looks like an impossible position, upside down or sideways. Hard to tell but it looks uncomfortable. The preeminence lowers the spoon. One of the handlers steps forward and pulls a lever.  
The screams of the animal reach out straight to Hesse and the women as the apparatus slowly tears it apart. Blood flows all over the stage. The large screens focus on every gory detail. Horrifyingly, the animal's still alive, screaming and writhing in agony as the killing machine mechanically goes on with its torture. One of the handlers finally reaches out and dispatches the wounded beast while the crowd roars its approval.  
There's an air of celebration all around, the crowd is chanting, swaying to and fro towards the stage in great waves of joyous cheer. The preeminence turns to the nine women under close guard next to the machine, addresses them in turn. Hesse watches in disbelief. It can't be what she's thinking, can it?  
xxx  
 ** __** __ __

_ **Enterprise** _

The bridge crew watches in stunned silence as the beast exhales its last breath. Trip is frozen in place, his mouth working in some silent exchange. Reed looks ready to boil over. A junior starts retching. That breaks the spell.  
Archer forces his voice level, "What's she saying?" He's looking at the old officiant.  
"It's an older form of the language, the translator's working on it," Sidhoum answers. "It's a religious ceremony," he adds.  
"They're not going to kill them like that, right?" Trip asks nervously. It can't be, can it?  
Archer doesn't reply. There's really nothing to be said about the obvious. "Pugin, when did you say this was?"  
"A half-hour ago, Captain."  
Archer gets up and paces towards the screen, "Travis, do you have the coordinates?"  
"Laid in, sir!"  
"Get us there stat!" Archer turns to Reed, "Who do you have flying the shuttles?"  
"Dentsu and Skyler, sir," Reed answers evenly. Trip understands about keeping a clear head, not letting emotions in the way, but crap, that's his wife down there. He'd like to see some more feeling.  
"Have them get —" Archer replies.  
Whatever he's going to say next is drowned out by the siren of the red alert.  
xxx  
**__**

** _Aneukaria_ **

  
The elder Aneukarian has stopped chanting and turned towards the prisoners. She starts again, possibly another litany before the final kill.  
T'Pol suddenly looks up at the sky. She's just felt a fleeting sensation, a mind brushing against her for a few seconds. Trip! Enterprise is close by! There is no way her psi-blind mate could project at a distance. She needs to delay, give then time, any way she can.  
Hoshi sees T'Pol suddenly topple over as if poleaxed. The guards surrounding her are taken by surprise, freeze, unsure what do do. The old officiating Aneukarian interrupts her speech to look over, trying to figure what's going on. Guards rush to the fallen woman. Hoshi would rush too except that T'Pol opens one eye at her as she lays seemingly senseless on the ground and Hoshi knows she's faking.  
"Make a hole!" X-Distsax comes quickly from the other side of the stage, X-Aljokax at her side. She roughly shoves Hoshi aside, kneels by the fallen woman.  
"Maybe she's sick," X-Aljikax suggests.  
"There's an easy way to tell," X-Distsax snarls. She whips her neural stick out and rests it on T'Pol shoulder. "Either you wake up now or I'll use the singing stick," she barks at the prone figure.  
T'Pol opens her eyes. She raises a hand in acknowledgement and goes to get up. X-Distsax sneers, "I changed my mind!" and fires the neural stick point blank at her.  
T'Pol sees a traveling wave of fire spread up her hands and feet, reducing her fingers to ashes, going up her arms and legs, creeping sideways to her flanks, spreading upward and inward, consuming everything on the way. She screams in agony, raw cries that tear at her throat. The wave of fire disappears and she's on the ground, shaking in continuing agony as her muscles convulse uncontrollably. She's trying to catch her breath, a thin stream of blood marks where she bit herself in the convulsions. She cannot move, every fiber of her being is painfully locked. She's hauled up her to her feet and she finds herself held upright between two guards. Dark spots are dancing before her eyes. She feels rather than sees X-Distsax lean over.  
"You'll be the last one to go, you'll see your friends die first," the guard whispers softly, then she turns and nods at the officiant. The ceremony can go on.  
xxx  
 ** __** __ __

_ **Enterprise** _

"AAAAAHHHHYYY!" The scream startles everyone on the bridge. Trip is white as a sheet, gripping his console in a death grip. "It's ok! I'm OK!" He quickly says, struggling to speak.  
"Trip! What's going on!" Archer's almost out of his seat.  
He's cut short by Malcolm, "23 degrees left!"  
"Got it!" The helmsman is sweating, his fingers moving over the controls faster than seems possible. Enterprise banks obediently.  
The Aneukarians may no longer be manning the moon outposts but they've left a large field of mines as protection. Lucky for the ship they came out of warp when they did. The mine explodes as Malcolm canons picks it up.  
"We have to hurry!" Trip shouts. How can he explain the bond, that he could feel her pain, They're torturing her! They have to get there fast.  
Archer frowns. As if they didn't know. His reply's once again cut off by Malcolm, this time shouting, "Mines all around!" Twin bolts erupt from under the starship's carriage, hitting two targets. The laser canons rotate and fire again, neutralizing two more. Enterprise dips down into the freed space.  
"Travis, forward!" Archer shouts. He tightens his fists. They need to be at Aneukaria already. The ship rocks as Malcolm keeps picking out mines in close proximity, shouting positioning commands at Travis.  
And suddenly they're floating in free space. The mine belt is behind them, there's nothing between them and the planet. They're through. "We're out!" Reed shouts.  
"Travis, get us to the planet now! Pugin, load the latest vidstream!" Archer's staring intently at the screen, hoping they're not too late.  
xxx  
**__**

** _Aneukaria_ **

  
Hesse's had her heart in her throat since that poor animal was torn apart. She watches helplessly as T'Pol falls to the ground, the guard hits her with that strange stick. Her screams reach them easily, the stage is built for that and they have premium seats. All the women cringe at the sound.  
Their Commander's not dead, but she's now hanging between two guards, seeming to recover slowly. At least she managed to delay the ceremony, if only for a few minutes. Hesse shakes her head. It won't make a difference in the end. She wishes Enterprise was around. But that's not going to happen.  
The old Aneukarian starts that weird chant again. Hesse looks up at the sky, catches herself. Help won't be coming from there. She looks over at Cole. it's time. Cole in turn looks at Vik who exchanges glances with Nagamura.  
The women all group closer without seeming to. When the time comes, they will all rush the guards as one, hopefully get killed in the process. Possibly a couple of them will escape, possibly. Otherwise they'll all die here on Aneukaria. And that's fine. They'll follow their friends into the grave and make sure the Aneukarians get nothing.  
Now they're waiting. She'll give the signal as soon as things go south, but not one moment before. Then they'll jump the guards. First one with her hands on a gun takes down the others.  
xxx  
 ** __** __ __

_ **Enterprise** _

The women are still alive! The ancient Aneukarian is still going on, arms raised over her head. T'Pol is closest to the machine, her head lolling, two guards holding her upright. It looks like she's first in line. Trip swallows hard.  
The officiant is still chanting but things are about to happen. The guards grab hold of the other women, two guards to a woman. Archer leans over the edge of his seat, "Travis, we're going in! Reed, Trip, get ready!"  
Operation Aneukaria is under way. Trip leaves at a run, Malcolm will follow. Soon. But first he has something to do.  
Travis wants to yell "Geronimo!" as he thrusts Enterprise forward and down, straight into Aneukaria's atmosphere. But Starfleet officers have a decorum to maintain. And he has to aim just right, he doesn't want Lieutenant Reed to miss.  
The ship shrieks and shakes as it enters the atmosphere, quickly dropping down from mach-speeds. The target is fast-approaching on the screen. Malcolm does not let his eyes off it. He must aim exactly precisely right. Too much to the left, and he's taking out his own people. Too much to the right, and he's killing an entire civilization. Like shooting an apple on your kid's head. Nothing to it, really.  
He bends his head over his console almost as if in prayer.  
xxx  
**__**

** _Aneukaria_ **

  
The point blank hit with the neural disruptor was worse than expected. She barely held on to her shields and her balance is still off, her limbs tightened by the residual effects, an uncontrolled tremor shaking them from time to time.  
Because she's looking downward, she's the first to see the shadow gliding over the arena full of people. She doesn't have time to wonder what it can be. The killing machine explodes in a shower of sharp and hot fragments that sting like shrapnel. The sudden and deafening sound comes next. The wind from the explosion blows everyone around like bowling pins, including the Aneukarian officiant.  
T'Pol manages to roll on her belly and push her on her arms and legs, disoriented. There's a thick layer of smoke that cannot be explained by the explosion alone. Guards are rushing to the Aneukarian officiant prone on the ground, hollering to each other. She can hear the whistle of an approaching shuttle but cannot tell where it's coming from.  
She needs to rally, gather the others, this is the time to make their escape. She fights stiffened muscles to hobble back to where the women were.  
Someone grabs her from the side. She won't be caught again. She won't allow it. Vulcan reflexes of old come to the fore. She turns to strike.  
"Hey, hey! It's me!" Trip barely avoids the fist that aims straight for his temple. It strikes him in the chest instead and he winces with pain. Good thing he's wearing an exo-shield, she'd have gone straight through.  
He grabs her and pushes her forward into a weird crab-like four-legged walk, she's almost out of it. He hands her off to someone inside the shuttle. Now that she's safe, he can turn back to the mission. Spinelli and Pei have already gotten most of the other women. Two more emerge from the smoke with their rescuers, walking in a crouch to avoid enemy fire.  
The great billows of smoke are already clearing, small flames consuming what's left of the contraption. The elder Aneukarian's being carted away to safety. The Aneukarian guards are rallying. He sees the glint of guns being raised. Now's a good time to go. He hits the speaker on his chest, "Shuttle One to Shuttle Two!"  
"Shuttle Two here," Malcolm answers.  
"We've got them, we're out!"  
xxx  
 ** __** __ __

_ **Aneukaria** _

  
Hesse doesn't see the shadow over the arena, only the explosion. Smoke is covering the stage, hiding it from sight. She's pretty sure she saw that awful machine blow up.  
The mood of the crowd has changed, anger turning to fear. The aliens are moving haphazardly, mostly trying to run away from the stage.  
"We're going!" Hesse yells at the women. Now's the time. They gather together in a tight pack, turn around ready to strike. But only a couple of guards are left, hardly paying attention to them, trying to crane their neck at the stage and see what's going on.  
A whistling sound cuts through. Hesse recognizes the engines of Shuttle Two, she'd know that sound anywhere. Her favorite lullaby. She looks behind, sees the shuttle turn the corner, hover in mid-air. The door opens and it's Lieutenant Reed gesturing at her.  
"Everyone, change of plans! Walk backwards towards me!" she yells at the women. Cole hears her and turns around in surprise, gathers what's happening at a glance. The guards do the same and pull out their weapons. Reed lobs something that hits with a whoosh, spreading thick smoke around.  
Hesse can still see the shuttle. "Everyone here!" she keeps shouting through the smoke, throwing her voice as a beacon.  
The Starfleet men have anchored the shuttle to the platform, Hesse knows that equipment, something's going to give way eventually, most likely the platform. It must be Dentsu at the helm, he's the only one other than Travis who'd manage to keep the shuttle that steady.  
The women come out of the smoke and get in, first get up on the ledge, an arm-lock with one of the men manning the anchors, then an assisted jump inside the shuttle. It's taking time. Hesse worries about the equipment. There's not enough room in the shuttle.  
Suddenly five women shimmer out of existence. Hesse's heart jumps. Of course! The transporter. Between the transporter and the shuttle, they can handle all of them.  
They're only three of them left. The smoke is clearing in their section. The guards have been following her calls too, they can make out the shuttle. Their guns are coming out of their holsters.  
"Cover me!" Cole yells at Hesse, advancing on the guards, distracting them. Hesse looks in surprise. Cover her with what? A shot from the shuttle answers her and the guards fall, first one, then the other.  
It's just Hesse and Cole now. "Go!" Cole pushes Hesse forward. She's a MACO, her job is to be the last in line. More guards are arriving. She sees the motion of a gun being raised. She rushes Hesse, flings her over onto the platform, hoists herself after her, feels the soft thump of two hits in her back. Two hits.  
Strong arms pick her up and pull her inside. There's the clang of dropped equipment. The shuttle lifts off, there are more hits, many of them, none strong enough to pierce the outer skin. They're up, they're going.  
Cole sees the sun, she thinks its the sun. So bright. the entire shuttle is filled with it. She closes her eyes in front of the brilliance.  
xxx

** **

**Chapter 10: Linnaeus - Epilogue**

xxx  
****

** Shuttle Bay **

  
Shuttle Two is only a couple of minutes behind Shuttle One, gets into the Shuttle Bay on its heels. Dentsu is the best pilot after Travis, after all. The door opens. Hesse looks around, she's still holding Cole, has been holding her the entire ride. She suddenly notices Phlox at her side, she didn't see him come in. He's frowning. The real Phlox never frowns, she worries this may be a trick from the Aneukarian. Until he gently touches her shoulder, "You can let her go."  
She looks down at the sleeping Cole. She's sleeping, right? She looks up at Phlox for confirmation but can't meet his gaze, he's looking somewhere else. Or he's avoiding her?  
She lets go of Cole, Phlox grimly motions to orderlies waiting outside. They take Cole away.  
Hesse walks out of the shuttle like a zombie. There are men milling around. The sight gives her pause. She hasn't seen so many men in... since the Aneukarians took them. The men are somber, their faces drawn. Cole's death has stolen the taste of success from their lips.  
A gurney crosses Hesse's sight, the drawn sheet obliterating Cole's face. Hesse sees T'Pol seated down next to Shuttle One. The sight is incongruous enough she does a double take. She's never seent the Vulcan sit down like that, just crossed-legged in the middle of the activity. She's nursing her right hand. Phlox is talking to T'Pol, Trip hovering behind them. She nods a couple of times and he signals a gurney to come over.  
She realizes she knew T'Pol from the ears, the Commander hardly looks like herself. The women from Shuttle One are all skin and bones. The doctor is passing a tricorder over each of them, each time saying "Take her straight to sickbay." Of course. She remembers Cole had said they were being starved. But that was abstract, Cole was the only one who saw them. Now she understands.  
The gurneys are all leaving the Shuttle Bay. Now only the women from Shuttle Two are left. Hesse suddenly notices Captain Archer. She goes to salute and he stops her with a raised hand, "As you were, Lieutenant." He looks over the fifteen women in the bay, "I can't tell you how happy we are that you're back!" This has a magical effect on the men. All of a sudden the mood lightens up. The men start speaking loudly, some give voice to their elation, some make to hug the women or slap them on their backs, are not sure they should, end up standing around arms akimbo.  
She loves them. All of them.  
xxx  
 ****

**Captain's Ready Room**

  
"No!" Archer shakes his head. There's no way this is going to happen.  
"Listen," Phlox leans over the desk, "I understand that this doesn't sit right with you. But remember, the Aneukarians are dying. They truly didn't have a choice. We can pass judgment on their culture and their civilization, but can we truly afford to let them die?"  
"You don't know what you're asking!" Archer gets up, circles his desk to come face to face with Phlox. "They killed one of my crew, abducted over twenty crew members and tortured half of them." He sees the doubt on the doctor's face. "And don't say that was not torture! No food, no water, no light - you know better!"  
Phlox stands his ground, nose to nose with the Captain. He's not intimidated. "Yes, they killed Amanda Cole, but that was not out of malice. They were trying to keep the women from leaving. And yes, they abducted our crew, but from their perspective they didn't have a choice. As for the treatment of half of the women, T'Pol told you it was cultural. Whatever you may think of their civilization, that is your Human judgment on another race."  
"All they had to do was ask, we would have helped them!" Archer counters. "Now, they can all go to hell."  
"If we let them die, Cole's death will have served no purpose. She will be one more crewman who died accidentally, forgotten by all except those who were close to her. Or you can make it so that she died while saving an entire civilization. Which one do you think she'd prefer?"  
Archer breaks gaze, turns back to the stars out the porthole, "I can't make that decision. Not alone. The men have to agree."  
Phlox squints at him, "Let's ask them, then."  
xxx  
 ****

**Shuttle Bay**

  
Archer looks over the crew. There's a definite shift in the atmosphere. Where the men were edgy, quick to anger, they now stand taller, seemingly more relaxed. The women are there too, including those who've just been released from Sickbay. Phlox says they're all putting the weight back quickly, they'll be back on active duty in no time. Not a minute too soon, he's still down two bridge officers.  
Travis is in the first row, his eyes red from crying. He'll never have the opportunity to make up with Cole. Archer gives him a slight nod. To think that two weeks ago he had no clue how many committed relationships were aboard Enterprise. Trip, T'Pol, Reed, Hoshi, Phlox, Cutler, Pugin, Beausang... He's not pleased, to say the least. But what does Starfleet expect him to do? He's put the bunch of them on administrative report, up to Starfleet to read the daily log details, if ever. By the time they do, who knows where Enterprise will be.  
Archer clears his throat, "I know you're wondering why we're still within Aneukarian space," he starts. Many nod. They're safely beyond the reach of any Aneukarian reprisal party, but still... Archer explains what he and Phlox have been talking about, arguing about, for hours now. Talks about Cole. Talks to the men especially. "So in the end," he says, "it's up to each and everyone of you whether to participate. This is not a vote, but if enough of you refuse, we won't do it." He pauses, looks at them. "Those who want to be included, just say 'aye'. Dr. Phlox here will keep a record."  
"Aye!" "Aye!" "Aye!" At the third 'Aye', he looks at Phlox in surprise. The doctor is smiling, not as shocked as the Captain. The approvals keep coming, faster than he can log them. Five minutes later Phlox turns back to the Captain, "Everyone. All the men." If he were Human, he would tell Archer 'I told you so'. He's always wondered what that felt like.  
xxx  
 ****

**Aneukaria**

  
The dignitaries are seated in the Great Council Chamber, staring at the case on the dais in the center of the room, under heavy guard. An unusual silence fills the chamber. Nobody's arguing. Nobody's asking for the right to speak. They're all blinking in consternation, anger, resignation or acceptance, according to their beliefs.  
X-Irtanimox is presiding over the Council from the ceremonial chair. She would stand but she is still shaken from the explosion because of her great age. She's also staring at the box. The Humans have played a great trick on them. If she could, she would wipe the universe clean of them. The arrogance. The arrogance!  
But she has not lost any of the acumen that has allowed her to survive and become the preeminence. The Humans have left them with the ultimate dilemma, but she can help guide the Council to what is best for her people. All of Aneukaria can survive. Their entire civilization.  
To do so they will have to swallow bitter dregs. She shudders at the thought, can only imagine how many citizens will simply refuse, preferring to see their lineage become extinct. But others will accept the challenge. And survive through the generations. Those who were already more lenient, are more flexible. That's how life usually goes. The more adaptable survive. Her task is to help as many of the others to cross over and accept the unthinkable as she can.  
The unthinkable brings her thoughts back to the Humans. The Humans! She cannot afford to let her anger negate what's in the best interest of her people. The case resting on the dais is full of DNA, and that is what counts. The scientists have already figured how to extract the segments they need. They can start tomorrow. There is enough genetic material there to save all of this year's births. Live births will generate more live births, in a few decades the age cohorts will have recovered.  
Her voice booms over the Council, "Aneukarian civilization will survive. We will see to it. I ask you to let go of prejudices, abandon what we have always held to be true, to be pure. Not because we choose deviancy over our beliefs, but because we realize there are times when greater goals trump all other considerations." She pauses as a murmur rises from the chamber. It will take time, many hours, but eventually she will guide the Council to the best decision. And she will overcome her anger at the Humans.  
Because all the DNA in the case, every last strand, comes from men.  
xxx

Captain's Log - We expect the Aneukarians will make the right choice and their civilization will survive. The Federation has been warned against establishing diplomatic relations until they receive confirmation that Aneukarian mentalities about men have evolved. In the meantime, Operation Aneukaria has been renamed Operation Cole in honor of crewmember Amanda Cole, who is posthumously awarded the Medal of Valor. Archer out.  
THE END

**Author's Note:**

> X-Eliantix (X-Eel-yan-teex) - captain of Tarorat (tah-roh-raht), the Aneukarian ship.
> 
> X-Aljikax (X-Al-jee-kahx) - first officer of Tarorat.
> 
> X-Igofox (X-Ai-go-fox) - doctor of Tarorat.
> 
> X-Urwjanx (X-Your-wuh-janx) - chief engineer of Tarorat.
> 
> X-Irtanimox (X-Ear-than-ee-mox) - ruler of Aneukaria.
> 
> Irivmeced (Ear-vee-muh-said) - Aneukaria's main Council.
> 
> X-Crafonaox (X-Crahf-on-hoax) - Aneukarian general.
> 
> X-Smalix (X-Small-eex) - pilot of Tarorat.
> 
> X-Psilex (X-psai-lex) - ensign on Tarorat
> 
> Specialist Amanda Cole - security
> 
> Specialist Jennifer Ygout - security
> 
> Specialist Nadine Akhoun - science
> 
> Lieutenant Azucena Ortiz - operations
> 
> Specialist Nancy Gordon - science
> 
> Specialist Florence Beausang - Engineering
> 
> Lieutenant Hess - engineering
> 
> Ensign Harold Willcox - Pakled spy
> 
> Specialist Aiko Nagamura - operations


End file.
